


Best Laid Plans

by dementorsatemysoup



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Dick-ish Arthur, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, M/M, Mailroom Merlin, Uther is Uther, unexpected love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-01
Updated: 2013-11-12
Packaged: 2017-12-28 02:32:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 38,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/986628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dementorsatemysoup/pseuds/dementorsatemysoup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Arthur makes a bet with his co-workers he never expected to fall in love with the target.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Bet

**Author's Note:**

> Just my first forray into the Merthur fandom. Enjoy and thanks for reading.

He should have bought the alarm with the radio, but the incessant beeping one had been cheaper and he needed to pay rent, so he forgone the clearly better model for this piece of crap that sounded like a dying pickup truck backing up every time it went off.

Merlin Emrys groaned, turning over, glaring at the offending thing. Yes, it wasn't the machine's fault, it was just doing its job, but he didn't care. It was far too early to be waking him up. What sane person got up at seven anyway?

"Merlin, if you're not up in twenty minutes I'm leaving you," a familiar voice called through his bedroom door. Oh, that's right, his clearly sane Uncle Gaius. Though, sometimes Merlin wondered if his uncle really was sane. That was also his cue to get up. Gaius really would leave him, and he'd be forced to take the tube… again.

He crawled out of bed, searching around his messy room for a clean work shirt. He didn't even know why he bothered wearing the shirt. He worked in the mailroom, barely left the basement, and was definitely not going to work to impress anyone. It was a simple, nine-to-five job that kept his uncle happy and left him with a room.

He decided on a faded, blue t-shirt depicting a band that was big before he was born. If he recalled correctly, it had been his ex's shirt; serves him right for keeping it here.

After yanking on a semi-clean, holey pair of jeans, he grabbed his shoes, his messenger bag, and his mobile and headed out of his room. Gaius was standing by the door, wearing his medical coat, tapping his watch impatiently.

"You said twenty minutes," Merlin pointed out as he dug in the cabinets for something to eat. "It's only…" he checked his phone, giving his uncle a sheepish grin. He grabbed a granola bar, shut the cabinet door, and headed towards his uncle, grabbing his tattered, brown jacket on the way.

"You're wearing that to work?" Gaius asked as they walked out of their flat, Merlin struggling to put his left Converse on.

"It's the mailroom, Gaius. The only people who see me are Gwaine, Gwen, and Lance, and we're lucky if Gwaine even wears a shirt most days."

"I still don't see what you saw in him. He was a delinquent who was arrested three times."

"The charges never stuck," Merlin defended his ex as he called the lift to them. When the car doors opened, both stepped on and the younger of the two pressed the lobby button.

"Only because Freya is an excellent lawyer," Gaius pointed out slowly, raising his eyebrows.

"Semantics," Merlin muttered as the doors closed.

It was a twenty-five minute drive to the paper company he worked at, and Merlin spent the entire ride listening to Gaius complain about young people being bad drivers and wasting their youth being bad drivers.

"This reminds me of the couple that came into the ER the other day…" his uncle kept speaking, telling the same story Merlin had heard several times already, while the younger guy tuned him out.

This was not how he pictured his life. He was twenty-three, living with his uncle, working at a minimum wage job. His goal was to become a computer programmer, had even started a small business with his friend Will a few years ago, but they were inexperienced and the company went belly up. He should count himself lucky that Gaius even let him move in. He really didn't want to go back to living with his mother.

"…and I told her…"

"This is my stop," Merlin said, cutting his uncle off, gesturing to the shiny building looming over the busy streets.

"Well, you have a good day," Gaius stated and shooed him out of the car. "Hey," his uncle called, right before Merlin could shut the door. "Can you get a ride tonight? I won't be off until late."

"I'll get a ride with Gwen," Merlin responded and shut the door. He shouldered his messenger bag, tightened his jacket around him, and started towards the building.

"One word mate," a familiar, Irish lilted voice said coming up behind him, an arm wrapping around his shoulder, "absolutely hungover."

"Who?" Merlin looked over at Gwaine with a grin. At least today he was wearing a shirt. Just because they weren't together anymore didn't mean they weren't friends. "And that's two words."

"Me," Gwaine replied with a soft chuckle. "I went out last night with a couple of guys from tech support. Did you know the price of alcohol went up? It's an outrage."

"No wonder you're always broke," Merlin commented drily as the two showed their company badges to the security guy. He scanned them and gestured the two on through to the atrium. "I mean, at one point you need to ask yourself: food or booze?"

"Booze," Gwaine answered without hesitation, "definitely booze."

"And you wonder why we aren't together anymore," Merlin muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"I said nice weather today," he lied tossing Gwaine a small smile. "You think Lance and Gwen are here yet?"

"Mr. Punctuality? Oh, I'm sure he's here. And since Gwen and him…" Gwaine made a rather rude gesture, causing a few of the women from accounting to toss him disgusted looks (like he cared). "…I'm sure she's here, too."

"You're going to get us fired," Merlin hissed nudging Gwaine with his elbow.

"It's been six months, Mer. If I was going to get fired, I would have already succeeded by now," Gwaine retorted steering Merlin towards the lifts. "You worry too much, mate."

"Yeah, well, you make it rather hard not to," Merlin muttered as he and Gwaine got on the newly arrived lift. As the doors closed Gwaine glanced at Merlin and asked, "Is that my shirt?"

 

 

**Merlin**

"There's nothing I can do, Morgana," Arthur Pendragon said into his mobile as he clicked the alarm button on his Lexus.

" _Look Arthur, I am getting married in three months. The least you can do is talk Dad into, at least, attending._ "

"Weren't you the one who said 'if I can't marry who I want then don't show up, Uther'? Why would you suddenly change your mind?"

_"I didn't,_ " Morgana admitted with a sigh, sounding as if it pained her to do so.  _"Mordred wants him there. He wants to prove to Dad that he's the right choice for me or something. Look, can you,"_ the next word was spat out like a curse word, _" please talk to him?"_

"And what's in it for me?" Arthur sighed, stepping into a lift.

" _I'm your sister, and I'm getting…"_  she sighed heavily; it sounded more like a growl, and grumbled, " _What do you want?_ "

Arthur smirked for a moment, pressing the 34 button. His smile then fell and he said, "Stop pressuring me into bringing someone to your wedding."

She was quiet for a moment, but finally sighed again and said,  _"Fine, but it wouldn't hurt to…"_

"Good-bye, Morgana," he snapped and hung up, stashing his phone in his pocket. He then checked himself out in the newly closed door, fixed his tie, and then leaned back into the wall, crossing his arms, his briefcase dangling from his left hand.

He knew better than to make deals with Morgana. She never stuck to her end of the bargain, and he knew, this time tomorrow, she'd be trying to set him up with her friend Vivian or her friend Leon. Neither held Arthur's interest, nor did her acquaintance Elena, or the insufferable Sophia that kept calling. The only one who he really could maybe see himself with was Morgana's old roommate Mithian, but last he checked she was engaged to a man named Cenred. He worked in sales or something; Arthur tuned out the details after his sister said 'she's engaged.'

It baffled Morgana, the fact that he batted for both teams, yet still couldn't find anyone. He actually liked it that way. Lifelong bachelor had a nice ring to it. Besides, now that Morgana was marrying Mordred, she could start having kids and Uther could stop pestering Arthur with questions about him settling down. He was twenty-six, he'd settle down when he was good and ready.

The doors opened and Arthur stepped off, heading towards his office. His path was intercepted by a hulking figure. Skidding to a halt, he looked up to see Percival beaming down at him.

"Why do I get the feeling you did something vaguely dirty?" Arthur asked carefully, eyeing the big man warily.

"I would never…" the giant's grin widened, if possible, and he relented, "Alright I did, but it's not what you think."

"He shagged Catrina," Elyan, Arthur's office mate, said coming around the corner. "Right in Uther's office."

"Perce, you didn't," Arthur groaned hanging his head. He really wasn't going to hear the end of it if his father found out. He had been the one to convince him to give Percival a chance. Plus, Catrina was his father's assistant and, Arthur suspected but could be wrong, his father harbored a secret crush on her. That went to hell in a hand basket.

"Hey, someone needs some action, and you certainly aren't getting any," Percival stated, jabbing Arthur in the chest with his index finger. "Neither are you," he grumbled at the snickering Elyan. "Besides, she's about as interested in a relationship as I am. It was a onetime shag."

"Until she rings three weeks later, demanding to know why you never rung her back," Arthur pointed out moving around his two co-workers, towards his office. "Maybe you should have thought that through, Perce," he called over his shoulder. He noticed the scowl on Percival's face, tossed him a cheeky smirk, and closed his office door behind him.

 

 

**Merlin**

"You're on delivery, Merlin," Gwaine stated pushing the cart towards Merlin.

"But it's your day," Merlin argued crossing his arms.

"Can't. Hungover," the shaggy haired man reminded Merlin, nudging the cart with his foot, hitting Merlin in the leg. "I'll owe you," he countered with a grin when the younger man continued to scowl at him.

"You already owe me several," Merlin pointed out impatiently.

"I'll give you a kiss," Gwaine offered puckering up.

Merlin pushed his face away, wrapped his hands around the cart, and said, "Get away from me." He then walked away, ignoring the hissed argument between Gwaine and Lance. Sometimes Lancelot was too protective for his own good; he could fight his own battles thank you very much.

He managed to get to the floor 34 in about an hour. It wasn't hard work, delivering mail, but Merlin could never shake the feeling that everyone working above him was judging him. It was stupid, and he honestly didn't care what they thought of him, but it was still a little disconcerting nonetheless. How would they feel if he judged them? And just because he did didn't mean his point was invalid.

Merlin jerked back to reality when he felt his cart slam into something. His stomach collided with the handle, knocking the air out of him. "Watch it," an unfamiliar voice snarled. Still searching for air, Merlin looked around, his eyes falling on a sneering blond man. "Did they give you a license for that cart or are they hiring any old idiot to push it?"

"I don't know, did they offer you the job first?" Merlin retorted coolly, raising his eyebrows. The blond smirked, making a point to slam his shoulder into Merlin's as he walked past him. It hurt, sure, but the dark haired man pretended it didn't. He fought the urge to say anything, but soon he heard himself remark, "My cousin hits harder than you and she's twelve."

He sensed Blondie freeze, knew he tensed, and waited for the inevitable blow. He had a habit, starting when he was three or four, of sticking his foot in his mouth. His mother told him he got it from his Uncle Gaius, and after living with the older man for the past two years, he saw what she was talking about.

Except, Blondie didn't punch him or physically hurt him in anyway; he didn't touch him at all. In fact, Merlin could hear the smirk in his voice as he said, "Better watch yourself, Mail Boy." He then walked away, his footsteps getting fainter and fainter until they vanished all together.

Rolling his eyes, he had been threatened worse by adolescent girls, Merlin continued dropping mail off. Though, a part of him had a feeling this wasn't the last he'd be seeing of Blondie McPrathead.

 

 

**Merlin**

"Okay, since I made such a big mistake," Percival stated, bursting into Arthur and Elyan's office, the door hitting the glass wall with a ear splitting crash. Arthur fought the urge to check the glass for any cracks, knowing it wouldn't be the first time Percival broke the window. "Let's garner a wager."

"Perce, how many times do I have to tell you, I don't gamble." Arthur gave Percival an easygoing smile before returning to his computer

"Come on, Artie, you know you want to," Percival teased using the one name Arthur could not stand. "And it won't even cost you anything big."

Arthur thought it over for a moment, but intrigue got the better of him and he asked, "What is it?"

"You make someone fall in love with you-court, shag, the whole nine yards-and I'll tell Uther what I did in his office. You can show me how a real man thinks things through." Percival flashed Arthur a challenging grin, leaning against the open entryway, crossing his arms.

"That's stupid," Arthur stated shaking his head.

"I'll put five hundred down that he doesn't do it," Elyan said with a grin, catching Arthur's attention. "What?" Elyan noticed the aghast look on his face. "I'm only looking out for you, mate. You haven't had a good shag in almost eight months."

"How do you…?" he didn't care. Shaking his head, Arthur said, "Look, we're not in uni anymore. We can't just go around making…" he trailed off, noticing the dark haired guy from earlier, a Cheshire cat smile spreading across his face.

"Fine." He looked up at Percival and Elyan. "I'll do it, but I get to pick the target."

"Alright. So, five hundred to each of us if you don't succeed, and five hundred from each of us and I tell Uther if you do," Percival responded and he crossed the room to shake Arthur's hand.

"Who is it?" Elyan asked curiously once the deals had been made official.

"Him," Arthur replied pointing at the dark haired boy. He did tell him to watch it. "It'll be the easiest thousand I've ever made."


	2. Rejections and Pub Chats

"He sounds like a prick to me," Gwaine commented later that day-after Merlin explained his run in with McPrathead-leaning against the concrete wall outside the building, puffing on a cigarette. "You want me to knock his lights out for you?"

"No," Merlin responded with a smile, sitting on the top step of the emergency exit everyone used to take cigarette breaks, picking at the sandwich he had bought from the vending machine. "I thought you quit."

"What this? Last one I swear." Gwaine waved the cigarette in the air before taking another puff. He always promised it was his last one, but Merlin had a feeling Gwaine's 'last one' would be on his deathbed.

"I doubt I'll ever see him again," Merlin stated with a shrug, offering Gwaine the rest of his sandwich. The shaggy haired man flicked his cigarette onto the ground, blew out one last puff of smoke, and took the sandwich.

"He still shouldn't have said that," Gwaine muttered around a mouthful of ham and rye. "You're too  _nice_  for your own good, Mer. If he had said that to me I would've punched him."

"Like the bouncer at Camelot?"

"Hey, the bastard was asking for it."

"He was doing his job, Gwaine."

"Still doesn't mean he didn't deserve it."

It had been their-Merlin couldn't call it a date exactly (with Gwaine they were more 'outings that usually ended in sex' than actual dates)- eighth outing. Gwaine had heard about a new dance club opening in the city and dragged Merlin to it. He had had too much alcohol, was getting rowdy, and the bouncer had been called over to show him out. Gwaine took it as a personal challenge and began swinging, managing to hit the bigger man twice before he was forced out. That was the same night Merlin decided he'd much rather be Gwaine's friend than lover.

"Merlin," Gwen said suddenly, ducking her head outside, "your mother is on the phone."

"I told her to call my mobile," he stated pushing himself to his feet, brushing his backside off. He walked inside, very much aware of Gwaine several steps behind him, and moved towards Lancelot's office. He was the mailroom supervisor, was probably the most laidback boss Merlin had ever had, and handed the cordless phone over the moment Merlin stepped into the room.

"Mum?"

" _Why aren't you answering your mobile_?" his mother asked curiously, sounding slightly worried. " _I know you asked me to call it, and I did, but it kept going to voicemail. Did you lose it again? Are you behind on the payments? Do I need to ask Gaius to lend you some money? Do you need some money_?" That was the reason Merlin didn't want to live with his mother; she worried way, way, way too much.

"Mum, I'm fine," Merlin assured his mother, moving away from Gwaine when he tried to listen in. "My battery probably died." He pulled his mobile from his pocket, shocked to see that his battery, had in fact, died. "Everything's fine."

" _Good because I read about a woman who tried to get a hold of her son all day and later realized the accident she saw on the news involved her son and he had died_." She then broke out into a long-winded explanation about the story. Sometimes Merlin really saw the family resemblance between his mother and Gaius

"Is something the matter?" the dark-haired boy interrupted, cutting his mother off mid-word, trying to keep the impatience out of his voice. He loved his mother, would die for her in a heartbeat, but sometimes her worrying grated on his nerves.

" _Oh, yes, the reason I called_ ," his mother stated. " _You cousin Cedric is coming to town in a few weeks and he needs a place to stay_."

"Mum, you do realize that's not my flat, right?" Once again, Merlin moved away from Gwaine and, surprisingly, Gwen, ducking behind Lancelot's desk. Taking pity on him, Lance got to his feet and ushered the two out, closing the door on Gwaine's, "It wouldn't hurt to let us listen."

" _I know, but it's hard to get Gaius on the phone as it is, and since you see him every day. Please, Merlin, it's for your cousin. He doesn't ask for much_ …" That was a blatant lie right there, but Merlin chose to let it go. " _He can stay on Gaius' sofa for a few days. It wouldn't kill you to be nice to him_." Actually it might.

"Fine," he relented with a heavy sigh, "I'll ask him, but I am not making any promises."

" _That is all I ask_ ," Hunith stated with a smile in her voice. It was quiet for a few moments, but she finally sighed softly and asked, " _How's Will?"_

"Mother, I told you a million times, we're not together." He had known Will since they were children, even attempted to date him when they were twenty, but he found they were better off as friends( though compared to some of the men he'd dated, Will wasn't that bad of a catch). Although his mother accepted his life choices, and sometimes threw a few of the neighbor boys his way, she was still convinced Merlin would eventually settle down with Will or someone like him.

" _I know, it was just a question. I would just like to see you happy, Merlin, and Will has grown up a lot in the past few years_."

"I don't need anyone right now, Mum. I'm happy the way I am." Even if he was working in a mailroom, living with his uncle, and pretty much failing at life. What was there to be sad about?

" _One day you'll meet a prince charming, Merlin_."

"Who am I, Cinderella?" Merlin made a face, rolling his eyes.

" _It's better than the scoundrel you were dating recently_ ," Hunith argued with a disapproving tone. " _You need someone who is going to treat you like you deserve and not how they expect, and I refuse to like anyone below prince charming level_."

"Mother…" Merlin sighed, leaning against Lancelot's desk.

His mother cleared her throat and said, " _Cedric will call you with his travel plans. You just think about what I said, okay?_ " She didn't wait for him to reply as she continued, " _I expect you to sort out your phone issues and call me soon. I love you."_

"Love you, too."

" _Bye sweetheart."_

"Good-bye, Mum," he stated and the line disconnected. If it was up to his mother, she would have signed him up for one of those dating websites and screened every name until she found the perfect guy for him. Maybe he should proclaim himself to be a dodgy, old cat man now, save her all the trouble? It seemed like a better option.

**Merlin**

Arthur had only been on 23 a few times. He knew it housed HR, he knew the clerk's name was Geoffrey or something close to that, and he knew that the man had worked there for as long as his father had owned the company.

Geoffrey looked up when Arthur moved towards him, giving him a surprised smile, and said, "Can I help you, Mr. Pendragon?"

"Uh, yes, I…" Arthur made a point to look really nervous as he glanced behind him. He then bent forward, palms resting on the metal surface of Geoffrey desk and whispered, "My father asked me to get some information a few days ago, but…" he gave an 'I forgot' type of grin, trying to look as sheepish as possible. "Do you think…?"

"Yes sir, anything you need."Geoffrey was already typing on his computer, waiting expectantly for Arthur to tell him what he needed.

Lowering his voice further, almost as if he really didn't want to be overheard, he said, "I need copied of the employee records for the mailroom."

"Right away Mr. Pendragon," Geoffrey replied and immediately started typing faster, his gnarled fingers blurring across the keyboard. Arthur always envied people who could type faster than him; he found the skill to be terribly useless even though he worked on a computer all day.

After nearly fifteen minutes, Arthur was handed a stack of papers. He thanked Geoffrey and softly asked, "Can we keep this between us? My father would," he ran his thumb across his throat, "if he found out I forgot."

"Yes, sir, your secret is safe with me." Geoffrey made a very subtle 'lip zipping' motion and gave the young Pendragon a weak smile. Arthur returned it in earnest and turned, heading towards the lift.

Instead of heading back to 34, he took the car up to the roof access. He liked to sit in the stairway during his lunch break, nobody bothered looking for him up here, and he liked it that way.

The moment the lift doors opened, he headed directly to the stairwell, pushing the door open. He dropped down on the bottom step, immediately sorting through the records the clerk gave him. He ruled out Guinevere right away, placing her file on the floor by his feet. That just left Lancelot, Gwaine, and Merlin.

He tried to recall what he remembered from 'Mail Boy.' He had had been cute, in his own special way, with his too large ears, too blue eyes, and too pale skin. He looked like he was in his early twenties, looked as if one, good wind would blow him away (seriously, did the idiot eat?), and looked as if he raided thrift stores for his wardrobe. That meant he didn't come from money, so this job was a necessity not a career.

He dismissed Gwaine first, reading the man's address. His address was located in the more posh side of the city, meaning he must come from money. Why he was even working at a low-level job was beyond Arthur's understanding. Perhaps this Gwaine was like his stepsister Morgause and lived the 'free spirit' life, but always seemed to turn up when they needed money.

He dropped Gwaine's file on top of Guinevere's, looking down at Lancelot's and Merlin's records. He read over both twice, but soon realized Lancelot couldn't be 'Mail Boy.' A) he was much too old to be the cheeky bastard and b) he was the supervisor, and Arthur never, ever saw a supervisor do grunt work such as delivering mail.

"Merlin," Arthur murmured, dropping Lancelot's file and looking at Merlin's. He lived in the poorer part of town, proof positive that he didn't have much money. He also had a degree in computer programming from a local university. Arthur figured the tech guys weren't hiring when this  _Merlin_  applied otherwise he may have been up on 7 instead of down in the basement.

With a name to a face, Arthur stood up, collected the discarded files, and promptly threw them away as he left the stairwell, heading back towards the lift. He rode back to 34, shuffling the papers in his hand, already plotting just how he was going to properly meet  _Merlin._

**Merlin**

Gwen had a prior engagement, meaning Merlin couldn't get a ride from her, and Gwaine didn't have a car, so he was forced to dish out some money for a ride on the tube. He hated taking the tube; people stared at him on the tube. He wondered if he'd be able to make it home on foot when a black Lexus stopped right against the curb and a tinted window rolled down.

"Arthur," a familiar voice said.

"Sorry?"

"My name," he stated with a 'shouldn't you know that' type look.

"Okay." Merlin turned to leave, but turned back when  _Arthur_  called him back.

"Need a ride?" Pratty McPratface asked with a pretentious grin on his pompous face.

"I'd rather bathe with a bear," Merlin stated and walked away from the car. The Lexus backed up, easily following his trek, and the dollop-head said, "That'd be a bit painful don't you think?"

"Look  _Arthur_ ," Merlin started leaning into the window, "I get it. You think you're God's gift to the world, but I am not interested in you. And, don't forget, I heard what you said. I'd better watch it? So, I am taking the smart approach and denying your offer."

He pushed away from the Lexus, ignoring the frown on the Clotpole's face, and started walking away. He heard the door open and footsteps quickly following him. "I realize that was a little excessive," Arthur stated quickly, easily keeping pace with Merlin. "And this offer is my way of apologizing. It sure beats taking public transport." He flashed Merlin a 'what do you say' type smile, one that did funny things to the dark-haired man's stomach, but he ignored the feeling and shook his head.

"I'm fine," he stated and walked away. He fought the urge to look over his shoulder, half expecting the blond to keep following him, but Pratty Dollop-head must have decided to let Merlin walk away.

While he was grateful-really he didn't have time for the prat and his apparent mood swings-a small, treacherous part of him was a little disappointed. He really had to have a stern chat with that part. He didn't need to date anymore assholes. Will had been the only decent boyfriend he had ever had, and even he had his moments. He had to cut his bad habits off at the head, start anew, find a guy that was going to respect him, and Pratty McFathead wasn't one of them, no matter how charming his 'what do you say' smile was; he was never dating  _Arthur_ … ever.

**Merlin**

Arthur watched Merlin walk away, feeling rejection settle in his stomach. He'd never been rejected before; this was a new feeling for him. How dare the big eared, blue-eyed, skinny idiot reject him? He was Arthur Fricking Pendragon, son of Uther, heir to Pendragon Industries. He did the rejecting not the other way around.

With a frustrated sigh, he pushed his feelings away and headed back towards his car. He'd just have to try harder, get Merlin's attention somehow. Should he bring him lunch? Ask him out for coffee? Buy him a gift? What did skinny, big eared, blue-eyed idiots like? This was going to take more planning than Arthur thought, but he wasn't a quitter. Merlin Emrys would be his; he was NOT losing this bet. He just had to try harder.

He spotted a shaggy haired man standing by the curb, lighting up a cigarette. He didn't know the man, but he recognized the leather jacket he was wearing. It was Gucci; Arthur had the same bomber jacket at home. That man came from money, and he wasn't dressed up like anybody from the higher floors but he clearly worked at PI; Arthur had seen him leave the building right behind Merlin.

Arthur parked his car against the curb, looking up at the shaggy haired man, and said, "Are you Gwaine by any chance?"

"Who wants to know?" the man asked warily, his cigarette moving up and down against his lips as he spoke.

"A friend," Arthur responded with a smirk, reaching across the seat to open the door. "Get in. I'll buy you a round at the pub." Those must have been the magic words because Gwaine gave Arthur an easy grin and got in the car.

"Nice car," he commented shutting the door.

"I know," Arthur stated and pulled back onto the street.

**Merlin**

"What you need to know about Merlin," Gwaine slurred a few hours later, putting another cigarette out against the side of the pub, smearing ash into the brick, "is he doesn't take crap from bullies." He flicked the butt away from him, watching it fly through the air and land on the ground. "And that he's fiercely loyal to those he loves. He also likes bushel sprouts, but that's not important.

"We used to have a thing, Merlin and me, but he ended it. Apparently," Gwaine started bitterly, pulling another cigarette from his pack, "I was 'too wild' for him." He laughed humorlessly, putting the cigarette in his mouth, lighting it with his silver lighter. "Best thing that ever happened to me, and I find I'm 'too wild' for him." He shook his head, taking a long pull on his cigarette. He blew a puff of smoke into Arthur's face and continued, "He asked to be friends though. I heard from Gwen that he stays in touch with all his exes, too nice to cut off all ties she says. Sometimes I wish he'd just cut off ties to me.

"Are you planning on dating Merlin?" Gwaine asked suddenly, catching Arthur by surprise. The blond turned, letting his eyes settle on the long haired man. "Because if you are, you better not hurt him. I'll kick anyone's ass who try hurting him. Take today for instance. He told me what this blond prick said to him, about watching himself, and I have half a mind to find the asshole and punch him in the head. Do  _you_ know who said it?"

"No," Arthur lied, shaking his head, "haven't got a clue who said it to him."

"If you do date him," Gwaine stated after a long pause, letting the 'blond idiot' go for a moment, "don't let him go without a fight. Worst mistake I ever made was not fighting for him. He's worth fighting for." Gwaine flicked his half smoked cigarette, hiccupped, and headed back inside the pub with a quick, "I need another bloody drink," thrown over his shoulder.

Arthur stood there for a moment, contemplating what Gwaine had just told him. So, Merlin didn't like bullies. He wasn't a bully, per se, more of an aggressive friend. He could work on that, show Merlin he was a nice guy. It couldn't be that hard.

**Merlin**

It was two-thirty in the morning when Merlin's mobile started ringing. His eyes snapped open, an audible growl left his lips, and he rolled out of bed. Tripping over one of his shoes, he managed to catch the edge of his bed with his hip. Hissing, he snatched his phone off his desk and snapped into it, "This better be important."

_"Hey Mer, it's me_ ," Gwaine slurred on the other end. " _Just wondering what's up."_

"Are you okay?" Merlin sank into his desk chair, feeling his anger leave him. Gwaine rarely became melancholy when he was drunk, but when he did he usually just needed a friend to talk him down. "What's wrong?"

" _I shoulda fought, Merlin. It wasn't like I wasn't able to, but I thought it'd be better if I didn't, and now I regret it every single day."_

"Gwaine what…?"

" _The best thing that ever happened and it's gone now. What do I do, Mer? I asked that blond, but he wasn't very helpful."_

"What blond? What are you talking about?" Merlin stood up, looking for his jeans. Maybe he should go get Gwaine; especially if he was accepting drinks from strange blond men.

" _He's gone now. I'm home, jus' thinking. He did have a gorgeous smile, nothing on yours love, but gorgeous nonetheless. Said he worked in our office, probably on one of the higher floors. The suit was Armani; he has money._ "

"What was his name?" Merlin asked, already having an inkling about who it was. And if he was right, how dare Pratty Fathead try to get to him through his friends. They were not his playthings, not something that he could mess with when he damn well pleased.

_"Arthur,_ " Gwaine replied slowly, his voice getting fainter. He was-no doubt-about to pass out. " _He said his name was Arthur_." The phone hit the floor, and Merlin was left with a drunk still connected to his mobile. Normally, he'd be trying to wake up Gwaine, he couldn't exactly afford staying connected to him, but he couldn't help the fury running through his veins.

Tomorrow, he was killing  _Arthur_  McPrathead.


	3. A Kiss and Reluctant Acceptance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read and commented last chapter.

Arthur stepped off the lift the next morning, once again flipping through Merlin's file, only to stop in his office doorway when he spotted the man in question sitting in his chair. Closing the file in his hands, Arthur let a sly smile cross his lips as he said, "You work faster than I thought…"

"How dare you use my friends to get to me," Merlin snapped shoving himself to his feet. He maneuvered around Arthur's desk, getting in the blonde's face. "I told you…"

"Wait." Arthur glanced over his shoulder, noticing the attention Merlin was attracting through the open door, and tossed the file on his desk before grabbing the younger man's arm. Ignoring the protests, he dragged Merlin back towards the lifts. As one's door opened, depositing a few people from his floor, he shoved Merlin inside, followed him, and stabbed the roof access button.

"This is borderline harassment," Merlin snarled trying and failing to rip his arm from Arthur's grasp.

"Take it up with my boss," Arthur retorted just as the doors opened. He manhandled Merlin off the lift, dragging him towards the stairway, and let him go only to have a fist collide with his face. He staggered back a few steps, brushing his fingers against his bleeding lip, and said, "I guess I deserved that."

"I am not your personal property," Merlin spat somehow managing to tower over Arthur even though they were the same height, jabbing his finger into the blonde's chest. "So don't treat me like that. As for my friends…"

"Okay, I get it," Arthur interrupted raising his hands. "I shouldn't have talked to Gwaine, but how else was I supposed to figure out how to ask you out."

For a split second, Merlin faltered, but he managed to hit his stride again as he said, "I am not interested in you. You're nothing more than a pompous prat who uses any means necessary to get what you want."

Arthur fought the urge to snort at Merlin's words. Morgana had called him worst stuff at their father's annual Christmas party. He had to admit though that Merlin was absolutely adorable when angry. His ears got red, his voice went up a few octaves, and his eyes seemed to blaze an even darker blue. In fact, anger suited him quite well. Arthur wondered if he could piss him off even more.

With only about a second to decide against it, the older man grabbed the lapel of Merlin's tattered jacket, pulled him forward, and kissed him. It probably wasn't his best plan, not even in the realm of good plans, and they'd only known each other barely twenty-four hours, but life wasn't worth living if he didn't take chances.

At first, Merlin was surprised by the kiss. Arthur really didn't blame him, had their roles been reversed he would have been a little surprised, too, but it didn't take the younger man long to kiss the blond back. It took him even less time to realize what he was doing and shove Arthur away.

"What is the matter with you?" Merlin snapped, gasping for breath, backing away from Arthur. "Stay the hell away from me." He then stormed out of the stairway, heading towards the lifts.

Letting him go, Arthur slowly lowered himself onto the bottom step, trying to still his rapidly beating heart. He'd had dated a lot in his twenty-six, from his Chemistry partner Nimueh to his father's old assistant Oswald, but he'd never had that kind of instant connection, attraction, to any of his other partners. Not like he felt with Merlin. It scared him a little, how easily they seemed to mold together, and that had barely been a kiss. What happened if they went any further?

He'd never wanted anything as badly as he wanted Merlin. It was time he stepped up his game.

**Merlin**

Fuming, Merlin hammered on the B-button, willing the lift to go faster. How dare that self-righteous asshole force himself on Merlin? He had half a mind to file a sexual harassment complaint. Was kissing somebody sexual harassment; especially a kiss that good? Not good. No, it was terrible. Arthur Dollop-Prat forced himself on Merlin. It was an awful, wet, hot, fantastic…

"Gah," Merlin whispered pushing away the treacherous adjectives. The lift doors opened and he stepped off, opting to forget what had happened. He did, however, make a promise to himself to complain to someone higher up if Arthur tried anything like that again.

Maybe.

_No, definitely,_  he told himself with a frustrated sigh. Damn that stupid kiss. It was making him all confused and a part of him wanted another, much longer one. That part was dead to him, forever buried among every bad decision he had ever made in his life.

He stopped, shoving his internal crap away when he spotted Gwaine chatting merrily with Lancelot as the two sorted mail. Merlin had yet to talk to the older man about his impromptu phone call last night. He tried this morning, but Gwaine had already hung up the phone before Merlin woke up.

Merlin took a deep breath, having no clue what he was going to say, and stepped forward. He smiled and greeted his friends, "Hey Gwaine, Lance."

"Merlin, where did you run off to in such a hurry?" Lancelot asked curiously, shuffling a pile of mail.

"I just had some things to take care of," Merlin replied pushing Arthur and his infamous kiss away. He offered Lancelot a 'don't worry about it' type smile (though he was going to anyway) and turned to Gwaine. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yeah, mate." Gwaine offered Lancelot the rest of his mail and followed Merlin outside, into the drizzle.

"Are you okay?" Merlin asked eyeing his friend cautiously.

"It's just a hangover, Mer. Nothing a greasy breakfast and your sunny smile can't fix."

Merlin blushed slightly, looking away from Gwaine. "I just…"

"Merlin, I promise, I'm fine," Gwaine replied with a small smile. "I told you before mate, you worry too much." The older man ruffled Merlin's hair, peppering both of them with drops of water from the damp, dark head, and then threw an arm over the younger man's shoulder. "So tell me," Gwaine started leading Merlin back inside, "what exactly don't you want Lancey to worry about."

**Merlin**

Over the next few days, small, expensive gifts started appearing in Merlin's locker. They were little things, stuff Merlin didn't necessarily need (or want for that matter). Attached to each gift (a scarlet, leather bound journal, a golden pen set, and a silver wrist watch) were invitations for lunch at a local café. The notes were never signed, but it didn't take a genius to figure out who was leaving the gifts. A part of Merlin was baffled he even found the basement, but then he figured the prat probably hired somebody to leave these gifts.

"Who's leaving this stuff for you?" Gwen asked curiously Friday morning, glancing at a new, suede, bomber jacket with a fur collar. "They're really expensive gifts, Merlin. Whoever they are they must really likes you."

"I'm sure," Merlin muttered sardonically shoving the jacket back in his locker. He had already given Lancelot the journal, Gwaine took the silver watch and muttered something about pawning it, and Gaius took the pens after Merlin explained who they were from. ' _Waste of money if you ask me_ ,' the older man had said but still used them nonetheless.

"So, you  _do_  know who's leaving this stuff?" Gwen was prying, despite how polite she was being, and Merlin merely tossed her a small, forced smile before donning his tattered jacket. If Arthur McPrathead wanted lunch then he was getting lunch. Merlin just hoped the staff at the posh, overly priced café didn't mind a scruffy looking 'hoodlum' eating at their establishment

The café was two blocks away, and Merlin spotted Arthur in the huge, plate glass window, sitting by himself, glancing over a menu. Merlin almost turned back, but the prat had to look up, his blue eyes locking on the younger man, and he smirked.

With a deep breath, and a promise to pour some really expensive, fizzy water over Arthur's head if given the chance, Merlin walked inside the café. The host, standing at his little podium with his little mustache (and seriously Merlin always thought that was  _just_  in the movies) gave the younger man a look of pure disdain and opened his mouth to, no doubt, tell him 'his kind' didn't belong or some other rich vs. poor crap, but Arthur was soon by Merlin's side.

He offered the snooty host an easy smile, put an arm around Merlin's shoulder, and said, "He's with me."

The man sniffed once but nodded, waving the two younger men away with a stiff, "I'll have another menu brought to your table."

"Thank you," Arthur responded and steered Merlin towards his table. "I see you're wearing  _nothing_  I've bought you."

"I don't need new stuff," Merlin replied pulling himself from away from Arthur. He took a seat in his chair, sitting on the edge, looking around at the other customers. He had called it. They were all well-dressed, business types, and a few were throwing him cautious looks, almost as if they were afraid he was going to rob them. If there was ever a snort worthy moment; this was definitely it.

"It's not about needing it,  _Mer_ lin," Arthur stated slowly, glancing back at his menu again.

"How do you know my name?" Merlin asked slowly, eyeing the blond cautiously. He was certain he never actually  _told_  Arthur his name.

"Have you forgotten my run in with Gwaine?" Arthur looked up from his menu, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh, you mean when you promised him alcohol in exchange for information about me? Yeah, how could I forget?" A young man suddenly appeared at Merlin's side, dropping off a crystal glass of water with crushed ice and a menu. He then bowed and disappeared again.

"I told you…" Arthur started, but Merlin waved his hand, cutting the blond off.

"Look, I'm only here to tell you to stop giving me stuff. I know why you're doing it, and I told you…"

"Go on a date with me," Arthur interrupted leaning over the table. "One date and the gifts will stop."

While Merlin's heart fluttered at the idea his mouth said, "No, I don't want…" He sighed in frustration, running his hands through his hair. "Why are you so interested in me?"

"You're interesting," Arthur answered with a shrug, picking his menu up again. "Pretty much everyone else in my life are the same, mundane, thoroughbred individual. You're different."

"You want to date me because I'm different?" Merlin's narrowed his eyes suspicously.

"In a nutshell." Arthur nodded. "So," he flashed that 'what do you say' smile again, the same smile that did things to Merlin's stomach, and continued, "one date? Tomorrow night?"

"I-I thought…" the younger man cleared his throat, cursing the stammer. "I thought this was the date."

"Nah, this is lunch on the company," Arthur replied with a smile. "I have something else in mind for you." His smile morphed into another smirk, his eyebrows waggling.

Running his hands down his face, hoping to distract himself from that damn smile, Merlin said, "If I agree to this you'll leave me alone? No more gifts, no more  _company lunch_  invitations? No more…?" he trailed off, shoving the kiss to the back of his mind again.

Arthur gave him a knowing smile but nodded and said, "One date, and if you  _want_  me to leave you alone afterwards you'll never see me again."

The small part that had been betraying him since the kiss (and he'd be lying if he said it hadn't grown some in the past four days) felt disappointed at the prospect of never seeing Arthur again. It was also screaming at him to say yes to the date. While the other part was weighing the pros and cons, constantly telling him this was a bad idea. That he should turn back while he had the chance. That Arthur could easily be like all the other, unreliable men in his life.

The stronger part was winning, Merlin very nearly declined the offer, but then he remembered what Gwaine always told him, about how he worried too much, and he heard himself agree, "Alright, one date." Besides, after this date he'd never have to see Arthur Prathead again; that small, whiny part be damned.

Arthur's smile was smug, but he nodded. "One date it is." He then pushed Merlin's menu towards him and said, "I'd try the chicken. It's probably the best thing on the menu." As the younger man reluctantly picked up his menu, he silently wondered just what in the hell he had gotten himself into.


	4. First Date Jitters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)

"You know," Gwen teased lightly, watching as Merlin dug through his closet, "for someone who claims to hate this man you are going through a lot of trouble to impress him."

"I am  _not_  trying to impress him," Merlin grumbled finally finding his  _two_ decent shirts. "It's just I haven't been on a proper date in almost two years. I just…"

"I understand," Gwen responded with a soft smile. "You're nervous, but maybe the reason you're nervous is because you really  _like_  Arthur and you want to  _impress_  him."

Merlin merely sighed heavily, holding up the two shirts. "Which one makes me look less…?"

"Gangly? Clumsy? Boyish?" Gwen supplied playfully.

"I was going to say poor," Merlin muttered looking down at the two shirts.

"You're not poor, Merlin. You're just… not as well off as some people."

"You mean Arthur." Merlin turned back to his closet. "Perhaps I shouldn't go."

"Merlin," Gwen started moving across the room, resting her hand on his shoulder, "you're being silly. I don't think Arthur cares if you don't have that much money."

Merlin grunted in response, fiddling with the buttons on the shirt in his left hand. If he were being honest, he would tell Gwen that  _he_  cared about not having money. Through all the distrust and mild irritation Merlin felt for Arthur, he still kind of, sort of  _liked_ him, and he wondered what the blond saw in him. Yes, Arthur said he was 'interesting,' but what exactly did that mean? He wasn't wealthy, he grew up in the  _dodgy_ part of the city, he worked in the mailroom, and he was a failed business man (though 'business man' was stretching it  _just_  a bit). None of that screamed 'interesting.' It screamed 'failure at life.' Why would Arthur  _want_  a failure like him?

"Wear the blue." Gwen's voice brought him back to reality, and he felt her tug the rough, red shirt from his left hand, leaving him holding a soft, blue sweater. "It brings out the color of your eyes." She then kissed him on the cheek and put the red shirt away.

"This is going to go wrong," he grumbled walking towards his bed, tossing the sweater on top of a pair of khakis. "I just know it. I don't even know where he's taking me. He just left an index card, with an address and a time, in my locker yesterday after work. I Googled the address and found a shoe store. Do you think he's buying me shoes?"

"Merlin…"

"I told him not to buy me things," Merlin continued, ignoring Gwen's exasperated tone, starting to pace back and forth across his bedroom floor, wringing his hands. "Plus, I don't  _need_  shoes. I have two perfectly good pairs. Yes, my trainers are a little dirty and have some holes in them and I may have had my boots since I was at uni, but that doesn't give him an excuse to keep buying me things. I mean, he's already tried to replace my watch _and_  my jacket. I don't…" he trailed off, biting his lip. Deep down, Merlin didn't want to be reminded how much less he was worth than Arthur.

"Merlin," Gwen called, catching his shoulders, halting him mid-pace. "I'm sure it's a meeting place. Maybe he wants to surprise you."

"That's another thing, Gwen," Merlin started slowly, meeting her dark eyes, "I don't  _want_  him to surprise me with some fancy and expensive dinner at a place that expects some type of jacket or whatever and have thirty pairs of eyes judging me. I get enough of that at work; I don't need it on a date. Dates are supposed to be fun and with someone you particularly  _like…_ "

"Please Merlin, if you didn't like him you wouldn't have accepted the date," Gwen muttered under her breath. Her eyes widened when she realized he heard what she said. "I meant, um," she stammered, flushed, "it's just, you don't tend to, um, accept dates from people you don't, you know,  _like_."

Merlin was quiet for a moment, but he finally sagged onto his bed, buried his face in his hands, and whispered, "I don't  _want_  to like him, Gwen. He's a pushy, obsessive jerk, but…"

"…you can't help it," she finished for him, sitting next to her friend. He nodded, finding his reddish-brown carpet the most interesting thing in his room. "Sometimes we can't choose who we fall for, Merlin." She put her arm around him, giving him a tight squeeze. "Maybe this will be good for you. If anyone deserves a happy,  _normal_  relationship it's you."

"This is why you're my best friend," he muttered, resting his head on her shoulder. She always knew just how to calm him down.

"Really," Gwen teased, kissing his hair, "I always thought Gwaine had me beat."

"Nah, you win every time. I mean, yes he does have better hair…" he trailed off, grinning when she shook her head. He became serious a few seconds later. "I love you, Gwen."

"I love you too, Merlin," she stated squeezing his shoulder again. She then untangled her arm from his shoulder and stood up. "You should get ready. You don't want to be late."

* * *

 

With a heavy sigh, Arthur checked his watch again. Merlin was late, or maybe he just wasn't going to show up. Something ugly and cold slithered into Arthur's stomach at that thought, a hurt he couldn't quite control, and he felt like punching something.  _What_ was the  _point_  of making plans with the clot-pole if he wasn't going to show up?

He was about to just go home when he spotted the dark-haired guy rushing towards his Lexus. Relief flooded the blond, sweeping away the hurt and rejection, but Arthur quickly brushed it away as he got out of his car, moving towards Merlin.

"Sorry I'm late," Merlin stated quickly, skidding to a halt in front of Arthur. "I got off at the wrong stop and had to walk three blocks. I probably should have read the address a bit more carefully." He was lying, Arthur could tell, and when he shot the younger man a skeptical look Merlin seemed to falter. "Okay fine," he admitted with a heavy sigh, "I sat on the bus, contemplating whether or not to show up, but decided it was much better to get this over with than prolong it. Happy?"

"Ecstatic," Arthur replied with a smirk, leading Merlin back to his car. Since this was a date, and Arthur had been raised to be courteous to those he courted (at least on the first date), and he was trying to win a bet, he opened the door for Merlin. "You look nice," he commented ignoring the surprised look the dark-haired man flashed him.

And he did look nice in a soft, dark blue sweater, dress trousers, and a pair of black boots. The only thing missing was the new jacket Arthur bought him, the younger man still donning his ratty, brown jacket. The blond made a note to ask about the jacket later.

He closed the other man's door, running around his car, and got into the driver seat. He glanced over at the man, flashed him dazzling smile, noting the younger guy's slight body shift, and threw his car into gear. As they pulled back onto the road, Merlin curiously asked, "Where are we going?"

"I was thinking something simple for tonight. We wouldn't want to overdo it on our first date," Arthur replied with a shrug.

"It could be our  _only_  date," Merlin muttered glancing out the window.

"We'll see," Arthur responded quietly, a smirk on his face.

After an awkward car ride, where Arthur tried to make small talk and Merlin merely grunted one word answers, they pulled up to a small café squashed between an antique shop and a craft store. "This'll just be our little secret," Arthur whispered turning his car off. "I come here every morning, but I haven't ever told anyone."

"So, why are you telling me?" Merlin asked curiously.

"Like I said, you're different," Arthur replied and got out of the car. He raced around, but before he could make it to Merlin's side, the younger man had already opened his door. "Shall we?" he offered Merlin his arm, the dark-haired man merely quirked an eyebrow and walked ahead of him. With a small shake of his head, Arthur quickly followed.

Inside, it was much warmer and quieter, and Arthur placed a hand on Merlin's lower back, leading him towards a back table. He spotted the usual barista, Henry, standing behind the counter, tapping a pen against a school textbook.

"Is there anything you prefer?" he asked Merlin curiously, removing his hand, watching as the dark-haired man took a seat.

"Anything really, I haven't eaten all day. I'm starving."

"Then I know the perfect thing." Arthur moved away from the table, heading towards the counter.

Henry looked up with a start at his approach, snapping his history book closed. "Uh, M-Mr. Pendragon, I didn't expect to see you this late."

"Hello Harvey," Arthur greeted with a smile.

"It's Henry, sir," Henry corrected quietly, fiddling with his pencil.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. What can I get you, sir? The usual?"

"How's about…" Arthur trailed off, glancing up at the menu. He eventually settled on two iced lemon teas and two ham and cheese sandwiches. As Henry put Arthur's order together, the blond casually asked, "Has Morgana been in her recently?"

"Just this morning, sir," Henry replied with a smile, pulling two wrapped sandwiches from a small, refrigerator, "right after you left." He set the sandwiches on the counter and went about preparing the beverages. "Is there something you need me to ask her?"

"No," Arthur replied before leaning forward, lowering his voice, "I would, however, appreciate it if you didn't mention-" he nodded at Merlin, who was fiddling with his shirt sleeve, his eyes looking out the window "-my  _friend_ just yet."

"I-I can do that, sir," Henry murmured nodding. "Not a problem."

Once he finished Arthur's order, the blond paid (a rarity for him since Morgana hated when he didn't), left a tip in the jar, and slowly walked back to Merlin, balancing the sandwiches and tea. The dark-haired man glanced over, noticing his burden, and quickly jumped up to help, knocking his chair over with a loud clatter.

His face flushed, ignoring the stares from the few late night customers, Merlin rectified his mistake and slowly sank back into his chair, burying his face in his hands. With a small smirk, Arthur placed the sandwiches and tea on the table and sat down.

"A bit clumsy, aren't you?" he teased and Merlin lowered his hands, glaring at him. He innocently raised his hands and said, "Just making conversation." Pushing both sandwiches and one tea towards Merlin, he told the younger man to eat up.

"Are you sure?" Merlin eyed the sandwiches warily, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. Clearly, he had been raised to share; a skill Arthur still hadn't quite achieved yet. At least that's what Morgana told him, but he was inclined to disagree with her because here he was, sharing with Merlin, like an adult.  _Ha-ha, suck it Morgana._

"I had a big lunch," Arthur lied easily, sipping his tea. "I'm fine."

Giving the blond a skeptical look, Merlin unwrapped one sandwich, slowly pushed the other towards Arthur, and immediately took a bite of the one in his hand. "This is actually pretty good," he commented chewing slowly. "It's definitely better than the sandwiches in the vending machines at work."

"I'll be sure to tell Morgana her sandwiches don't suck," Arthur stated with a smile, pushing his sandwich back at Merlin.

"Morgana?" Merlin raised an eyebrow, pushing the sandwich Arthur's way again.

"My sister owns this shop," the blond responded, once again offering Merlin the second sandwich. "Our father wanted her to work for his company, she refused and opened this place instead; her and Mordred."

"Mordred? Is he your brother?" The sandwich found its way back to Arthur's side again.

"Oh, God no, he's Morgana's fiancé." The blond was not losing this war; Merlin would eat this sandwich if he had to shove it down his throat. "My father doesn't approve of him."

"Ah." Merlin nodded, taking another bite of his sandwich, deciding to ignore the second one. "Did you also disappoint your father, too? Is that why you work for the paper company?"

Arthur smiled, looking down at the table, and said, "Actually, my father owns the paper company."

"Oh." Merlin was quiet for a moment, studying his sandwich, but he finally looked up and said, "I'm not apologizing for calling you a prathead."

"You've never called me a prathead," Arthur stated slowly, eyebrows furrowed, fighting a smile.

"I guess there's a first time for everything," Merlin retorted returning to his sandwich.

"You know, I could have you fired for talking to me like that," Arthur commented absentmindedly, grabbing the second sandwich. If Merlin was too stubborn to eat it, he'd do it himself.

"I seriously doubt you would." The two guys shared a quick look, both smiling, and continued to eat their sandwiches.

"So, what about your mother?" Merlin asked after a long pause, taking a drink of his tea. "Does she approve of yours and Morgana's lives?"

"Uh…" Arthur fidgeted in his seat, putting his sandwich down. He hated talking about himself, hated it even more when people pitied him, and he knew, if he said anything about his mother, Merlin would be the same way.

"She died didn't she?" the dark-haired man guessed and Arthur nodded, risking a glance up at him. He was surprised to see understanding in the younger man's eyes. "My dad, too."

"I never knew her," Arthur admitted running his ringer along the lip of his cup. "She died the day I was born." Why was he sharing this with Merlin? They hardly knew each other. He tried to convince himself it was all a part of the bet, just the bet, nothing more.

"My dad died about a year ago," Merlin murmured picking at his sandwich. "Car accident on the way to a concert; the police say he died on impact."

It was quiet for a moment, but finally Arthur broke the silence. "Who was your dad going to see?"

"Oh, no, he was performing," Merlin stated looking up, a small smile on his face. "He was bassist in The Last Dragonlords. It's how he and my mum met. Her friends dragged her to one of their sets. He always described it as 'love at first sight.' She said he was more of an 'acquired taste.'" Merlin chuckled softly, shaking his head. He then sniffed, looked up, and asked, "Do you have any other siblings or is it just you and Morgana?"

"One," Arthur replied clearing his throat, "Morgause. She's actually Morgana's half-sister, my stepsister, but she's been with us since she was six, so she's always just been our older sister. She's somewhere in France right now, living as an artist. At least, that's what I think she's doing; we haven't actually seen her in three years. What about you?"

"It's only me," Merlin responded gesturing to himself. "Dad wanted more kids, but Mum always told him it was never the right time. So, they never had any more children."

"Lucky," Arthur muttered shoving a piece of bread into his mouth.

"Not really," Merlin replied softly, continuing to shred his sandwich.

* * *

 

The two stayed past closing, mostly talking about nothing, and Henry was cleaning tables when Arthur finally looked at his watch. He started, eyes widening, and said, "I think I should be getting you home."

"Wow, I hardly noticed the time," Merlin commented checking his own battered watch. "That's crazy." He rubbed his eyes, getting to his feet, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. "I haven't done this since uni with Will."

"Will?" Something stirred in Arthur's stomach at the guy's name, but he ignored it. "Who's, uh, who's Will?" he asked as casually as possible, standing also, grabbing his own jacket.

"An old friend of mine," Merlin replied with a shrug. "I've known him forever; we've been friends since we were six. It used to be me, Will, Freya, and Gwen during our time at Uni. In fact, it's Gwen who got me the job at Pendragon Inc."

"Ah," Arthur stated nodding, walking out with Merlin. Both men waved Henry's way, he nodded back, and the two headed towards Arthur's Lexus. "So, did you and this Will guy ever, you know, have a thing?"

"Once, when we were twenty, but we acted more like brothers than lovers, so we decided to  _just_  be friends," Merlin replied getting into the car. Arthur nodded, his stomach unknotting, and quickly raced around his car. As he got inside, he glanced over at Merlin and asked, "Where do you want me to drop you off?" He may have already known the younger man's address, but he didn't need him to know that little tid-bit. Merlin rattled off his address as he rested his head against the window.

"Have you dated anyone else?" Arthur asked conversationally, driving down the street, sparing a single glance at Merlin.

"A few people," Merlin murmured, his breath fogging up the window. "Will, Gwaine, Edwin, and Gwen, once, but that was  _way_  before I knew I liked guys. In fact, she helped me realize I was gay."

"Oh." Arthur nodded, sighing softly.

"What about you?"

"I've had a few people, too," Arthur replied and left it at that. Merlin didn't need to know his dating history, and boy was it a history. He had gone from Sophia to Vivian to Leon back to Sophia to Valiant to Mithian once, at a party, to Sophia again followed by one date with Elena, and that had just been in the past three years alone. He didn't need to take into account his teens or early twenties. It was best to just leave the comment hanging in the air.

"That many, huh?" Of course, he wasn't counting on Merlin picking up on his silence. He spared another glance over at the dark haired man, but he still hadn't picked his head up. "That's fine. Gwaine's dated a lot of people, too. Actually, I think I was his first committed relationship and that barely lasted six months."

Arthur recalled what Gwaine had told him Monday night, about Merlin being the best thing to ever happen to him, and the blond wondered if his riding companion was aware of that fact. If he was, Arthur had a feeling Merlin would feel guilty for making Gwaine feel that way. He was a far better person than Arthur ever could be, and the blond wondered if this bet was actually worth it.

When Arthur pulled up to Merlin's building, located in the shabbier part of the city, he put his car into park and leaned back in his seat. The younger man picked his head up, looking around; obviously surprised they were there already. It was hardly a surprise when he seemed to be asleep most of the ride.

"So," Arthur started with a sigh.

"So," Merlin murmured lightly tapping his fingers against his knees. The left side of his hair was mussed from resting against the window, his eyes slightly puffy from sleeping, and Arthur had to admit he had never seen anything so adorable in his life.

"Can I see you again?" the blond asked carefully, tilting his head towards the dark-haired man.

"Would you like to?" Merlin met his eyes, a smirk on his face.

"I wouldn't hate it."

Merlin smiled, grabbing Arthur's hand. With a pen he pulled from his coat pocket, he scribbled a series of numbers onto the blonde's palm. He then replaced the pen. "Give me a call." He then leaned forward, gave Arthur a quick kiss, and got out of the car. "Sooner rather than later," he stated shutting the door, jogging towards his building.

Touching his tingling lips, Arthur waited until Merlin was inside before pulling back onto the street, thinking the night couldn't have gone any better.


	5. Morgana's Request

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)  
> Drop me a comment if you can.  
> Still don't own 'em.

" _Hello?"_  Merlin answered on the third ring, sounding groggy.

"Have you ever been stuck in traffic and just wondered: how far could I get going down the pavement without hitting anybody?"

" _Arthur?"_  The blond in question heard movement from the other end. " _It's eight-thirty on a Sunday."_

"Yes, the average adult is usually up before noon," Arthur responded with a smirk.

" _I get up before noon,"_  Merlin grumbled moving around, probably sitting up. " _Why are you calling this early?"_

"It's not  _early_ ," Arthur stated shaking his head.

_"Whatever. What's up?"_

"You told me to call you sooner rather than later."

" _I meant at a decent time. This is_ _not_ _a decent time."_

"What are you talking about? I am stuck in traffic. The entire city appears to be awake  _except_  you. Of course it's a decent time. I mean seriously, what  _are_   _you_  doing with your life if you spend half the weekend sleeping?"

" _I'm hanging up now…"_

"Wait, wait, wait," Arthur said quickly, needing Merlin to stay on the line. He wasn't quite sure why, but he told himself it was all because of the bet. "I wanted to know if you wanted to get breakfast."

" _Breakfast?"_

"Or, by the time I get there, brunch; maybe a very, very late lunch."

" _Early dinner,"_ Merlin joked, and they both chucked softly.

"So, what do you say? Would you like to have brunch/lunch/dinner with me?"

" _Where are you?"_

"About three blocks from your flat," Arthur replied silently cheering as the cars in front of him moved.

" _Three…? What happens if I say no?"_

"I'll drag you out by your ears."

_"You're a tad controlling. Has anyone ever told you this?"_ Merlin muttered with a jesting lilt to his voice.

"Morgana has mentioned it on several occasions," Arthur retorted with a smirk.

" _I guess, in order to save my ears, I'll agree, but I can't promise I'm going to enjoy it,"_  Merlin teased and Arthur could hear him getting out of bed. " _Hey, what are you wearing? Maybe we can color code…"_

"See you soon, Merlin," Arthur interrupted and hung up. With an amused snort, he tossed his mobile onto the passenger seat and inched forward with the other cars.

It was another fifteen minutes before Arthur pulled up to Merlin's building. In the daylight it didn't look  _nearly_  as bad nor did the neighborhood. Of course, it still wasn't anywhere  _near_  the neighborhood Arthur grew up in or the one he lived now, but he didn't feel like he was about to get mugged which was something.

He got out of his Lexus, made a point to lock it, and then jogged towards the entrance. He scanned the side of the building, looking at the two dozen buzzers, stopping on one that said 'Gaius and Merlin 3A.' Arthur jammed his finger into the white button, tapping his foot impatiently.

_"Hold your damn horses_ ," Merlin's voice snapped through a tiny, metal speaker and the door opened. Arthur pulled it open and headed inside. He took a quick lift ride up to the third floor, stepping off when the doors opened. He headed towards the nearest apartment, listening as something crashed inside and Merlin's muffled voice swore.

Fighting a smile, Arthur knocked. He heard another crash, a muffled 'ow,' and soon the door swung open and Merlin said, "Look, Gwen, I don't… Arthur!?" In surprise, Merlin slammed the door in Arthur's face. With a smirk, the blond knocked again and the door slowly opened.

"Do I have something on my face?" Arthur teased and Merlin's face flushed red. "Is that why you slammed the door?" He rubbed both hands down his face, cleaning off the 'mess,' and asked, "Did I get it?"

"You're an arse," Merlin stated grabbing his jacket and pulling him inside. Arthur grinned, shutting the door behind him. "Give me a minute and we'll go," Merlin said and headed down a short hallway.

Arthur looked around the room. It was a small, open space, the living room and kitchen separated by a counter and a small bit of tile floor. The blond spared the tiny kitchen area a single glance before moving towards a dusty entertainment center, maneuvering around an old, worn, plaid sofa.

Besides a small, outdated television and dozens of books, there were also a few photos. Arthur picked up one of a brunette woman, a dark haired man, and a small Merlin standing next to The Grand Canyon. The woman had her arms around the man's neck, gently kissing his cheek, while Merlin grinned from the man's arms.

"That was the summer Dad's band played in the states," Merlin said, startling Arthur. He put the photo down, turning to see the dark haired man standing a few inches behind him, a dark green jumper in his hands. "They were the opening act for some American band. I can never remember the name. I remember it was my first time out of the country and I was really excited.

"Funny enough, ten minutes after that was taken I threw up over the edge." Merlin laughed, but his eyes were still a little sad. He cleared his throat, the sadness vanishing from his face, and said, "Shall we?"

"Yes," Arthur responded and the two left the flat.

As they rode the lift down, Arthur curiously asked, "What was your father's name?"

"Balinor," Merlin replied softly leaning against the back of the car, crossing his arms. "What about your mother?"

"Ygraine," Arthur responded just as quiet. He mirrored Merlin's position, his eyes locking on the floor. "I've seen a few photos of her, and my Uncle Agravaine told me I favor her over my father." Arthur straightens up as the doors open saying, "But you can't exactly miss what you've never had."

"I disagree with that," Merlin stated following Arthur. "I think you can miss your mother just as much as I miss my father. Just because you've never met her doesn't mean you can't miss her; she'll always be a part of you."

"You know, for an idiot, you are very wise." Something stirred in his chest, but Arthur ignored it, the left side of his lips turning up in a small smile.

"And for a prat, you aren't so bad yourself," Merlin retorted, grinning at the faux-glare Arthur threw his way. The blonde's glare morphed into a smirk and he wrapped his arm around the younger man's shoulder, directing him towards his Lexus.

Merlin

After a very long breakfast/lunch, Arthur dropped Merlin off at his flat, stopped by the grocery store for a few odds and ends, and headed home. He rode the lift up to his fifteenth floor flat, ignoring the grumbling old man riding with him, and stepped off.

He headed down the hallway, looking through the post he had picked up in the lobby. Deeming each piece complete junk, he shoved the stack in his shopping bag, fumbled in his pocket for his keys, and unlocked his door. He stepped inside, moving across the room, heading towards his counter.

"Who's the guy?" a familiar voice asked from the direction of the couch. Arthur made a very manly noise-or that's what he'd tell anyone who asked-dropping his bag.

"Damn it, Morgana," he shouted stooping down to pick up his groceries, his heart slamming against his chest. "How the hell did you get in here?" Arthur flipped the light on, revealing his sister sitting on his sofa, legs crossed, her mobile in her hand

She smirked, getting to her feet, walking towards him. Crossing her arms, she leaned her hip against his counter and repeated, "Who's the guy?"

"Did you make a key again? I told you to return your copy," Arthur continued, pretending she hadn't asked about Merlin, setting his shopping bag on the counter. He dug his post out, dropping it next to the bag.

"Arthur, come on, I know," Morgana stated with very little patience. "Who's the guy?"

"I don't want you snooping around and…" he trailed off, meeting her eyes, a pointed look on her pretty face. He snorted, shook his head, and said, "You should fire that Harvey guy."

"Who? Oh, you mean  _Henry_? He didn't tell me anything, Arthur, I saw the security footage." A look of triumph flashed across her face when he realized she had him backed into a corner. "He's cute for a gangly man. Where'd you meet him? And will I need to change your invitation to plus one?"

"He's no one," Arthur responded taking a few items from his bag and moving to put them away. A small part of him called him a liar, but he ignored it. Returning to his bag, he stated, "We'll probably break up before your wedding." At those words, Arthur's stomach knotted and he felt the familiar twinge in his chest, but again he ignored those feelings.

"Uh-huh," Morgana retorted skeptically, narrowing her eyes. "Then why did you spend nearly three hours with him, huh? And the look on your face when you were with him…"

"He's a no one," Arthur repeated maneuvering around Morgana to put the remainder of his groceries away.

"Please Arthur. I've seen that look before when you were around Mithian. You  _like_  this man."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Again, he called himself a liar.

"Uh-huh." And again Morgana threw him a skeptical look.

"Morgana, just face it. I'm not telling you about him." Arthur stepped away from her, heading back to his grocery bag. He folded it up, stashed it in the pantry, and turned to walk into the living room, taking a step back when he found himself nose to nose with his sister.

"I want to meet him," she said slowly, taking a step towards him. Arthur stood his ground, defiantly meeting her pale green eyes, and shook his head. "Fine," she sighed, turning away from him, "I'll just tell Sophia you're single. She's been dying to see you again."

"You wouldn't," Arthur snarled, but he felt his resolve weakening.

"I heard she even has a new play she wants you to see." He flinched at her words, cracking completely, and heard himself agreeing to her meeting Merlin. "Swell," Morgana stated and turned back to face him, a smug smile on her face.

"It's only because I don't want to sit through anymore of Sophia's acting," Arthur muttered with a faux-shiver. She wasn't ever going to get any more talented no matter how much time and practice she put into her craft. "You're a horrid person."

"Aw, Arthur, I love you, too," Morgana retorted with a sardonic smile.

The two siblings were quiet for a moment, Arthur glaring while Morgana smirked, but finally the former asked, "Seriously, how did you get in here?"

"I made more than one copy, dear brother," she responded and moved towards the door, grabbing her purse off the back of the couch. "I'll call you with a few days I'm free. We'll have a double date." She stopped in the doorway, turning to look him in the eyes. "What's his name?"

"Good bye, Morgana."

"I'll find out soon enough." And she was gone, leaving Arthur to pick up his dignity. His sister really knew how to fight dirty. She really was Uther Pendragon's daughter.

Merlin

" _What do you mean he took you to breakfast? You didn't, you know…"_

"No, Gwen, I didn't spend the night with him," Merlin stated with a heavy sigh, hanging upside down off his sofa, watching some old movie. "When, in the past twenty years, have you ever seen me rush into sex?"

" _There was Edwin_ ," Gwen reminded him.

"I was seventeen and stupid," Merlin replied with another sigh. "Are you seriously never going to let me live that down?"

" _You were a bit of an idiot when it came to Edwin."_

"Now you're starting to sound like Arthur," Merlin muttered and heard Gwen giggle. "What?"

" _That's the fourth time you've said his name since calling me,"_ she stated, a smile in her voice. " _You must_ _really_ _fancy him."_

"Shut it," he grumbled but couldn't quite fight his own smile.

_"Merlin, I have to go, Lance just got home."_

_"Hi Merlin,"_ Merlin heard Lancelot call in the background.

"Tell him hi from me."

" _I will, and Merlin…"_

"Yeah?"

" _I'm glad Arthur makes you happy,"_  Gwen stated and hung up. Merlin ended the connection, tossing his phone onto the cushion beside him, and maneuvered his body so he was sitting on the couch, his head spinning as the blood rushed through his body.

He grabbed the remote off the sofa's arm, turning the telly off. He stood up, intending to go to bed, but his mobile went off. He picked it up, expecting to see Gwaine or Will's name, maybe Freya or his mother, but was surprised to see Arthur.

"Breakfast, lunch,  _and_  two calls in the same day; I think you're going to start getting sick of me," he teased when he answered.

_"Please, it takes at least two weeks before I get sick of anyone,"_  Arthur retorted and Merlin could hear him smirking. " _I actually called with a question."_

"Okay."

" _How would you feel about meeting my sister?"_

"Meeting the family already?" Merlin started slowly, half teasingly. Inside, he was panicking a little; wondering if Arthur was taking things a little too fast.

" _She insisted,"_  Arthur said quickly, no doubt picking up on Merlin's apprehension. " _If you don't want to I'll just tell her to butt out."_

"No, it's not that…" he trailed off, looking down at his feet. He hadn't had to go through the awkward 'meeting the family' stuff with any of his past relationships. He'd already knew Gwen's and Will's family, Edwin's family had died long ago, and Gwaine had always changed the subject whenever his family had been brought up. He wasn't even sure when the right time would be to meet Arthur's family.

Again he remembered Gwaine telling him he worried too much and heard himself agree, "You know what, let's do it. I'll meet her."

" _Morgana will be pleased,"_  Arthur stated softly. " _I'll call you with a day."_

"Okay and I'll see you tomorrow."

" _See you tomorrow,"_ Arthur replied with a smile. " _Good-bye Merlin."_

"Good-bye." They ended the connection and Merlin sank onto his sofa. Burying his face in his hands, he once again wondered if he was rushing into this relationship. They'd only really been on two dates, and they hadn't even established what they were. Was it really an appropriate time to meet his sister?

"Can't do anything about it now," he muttered into his hands. At least, not without making himself look rude. With a sigh, he lowered his hands, stood up, and went to bed. He'd deal with this in the morning.


	6. Date Night

Arthur had barely entered his office the next morning when his father called him into his office. With a sigh, he dropped his briefcase and coat off, flashed Elyan a 'what now' type look, and headed up to 35. Catrina greeted him the moment he stepped off the lift with a tightlipped smile. He returned it, his smile possibly a bit more like a grimace, and headed into his father's office.

"I understand," Uther was saying into his phone, flashing Arthur an index finger. "I will have the papers drawn up on Thursday. Thank you, good-bye." The moment Uther hung up he muttered, "Insufferable prick."

"You wanted to see me, father," Arthur stated curiously, his back against the closed door.

"Yes, Arthur, I noticed you had lunch expensed to the company a few days ago," Uther said skipping over the formalities, picking up a sheet of paper.

"I always expense my lunches to the company," Arthur responded crossing his arms.

"This says you had lunch with another. Now, Arthur, I know you like to impress those you are infatuated with, but I have asked you several times not to go on anymore of your  _dates_  during office hours."

"And I didn't, Dad. I was merely laying the groundwork for an arrangement that could be beneficial to me in the long run." Which wasn't exactly a lie; technically dating Merlin would benefit him greatly. Feelings aside, he would be making a pretty good chunk of change if all went well. It wasn't his fault a part of him was willing to just drop the bet if everything went well; he chose to ignore that part.

"And what arrangement is this?" Uther questioned slowly, looking up at his son, tilting his head to the side. "It's not another one of those childish bets you used to do is it?"

"Father, I gave those up after I graduated University. There is no bet." That one was a lie, but he lied to Uther all the time; why would this time be any different?

"Good. You may go, and…"

"No more dates during work hours," Arthur finished turning to leave.

"Was she pretty at least?"

Arthur froze, his hand resting on the door handle. His father was very much aware of his life style choices, had even held his insults back when he brought Valiant home, but Arthur knew his father was banking on him 'growing out' of this phase and settling down with a nice girl (preferably from a well-off family). He wanted grandchildren, heirs to his corporation, and he was adamant on Arthur giving that dream to him; which reminded him.

"I spoke to Morgana the other day," he started, turning back to the older man, choosing to forego his father's question.

"Is she still marrying that 'writer?'" Arthur could hear the quotations around the word 'writer,' the look of displeasure evident on his face.

"They're still getting married in February. She really wants you to be there." Okay, so Mordred wanted Uther there, but Arthur figured he'd get through to his father better if he just skipped that piece of information.

"I'll see what I can do," Uther replied stiffly. Well, he tried.

"Alright." Arthur turned back to the door, opening it, and stepped out. If Morgana wanted Uther at her wedding, regardless of if she  _really_  wanted him there, she was going to have to talk to him herself. Their father was just too stubborn for his own good sometimes; they both were. Living with them had been hell.

On the lift, his mobile chirped from his pocket. Pulling it out, he glanced at the screen and rolled his eyes. "Speak of the devil," he answered, a smirk on his face.

"Oh, Arthur, don't you ever get tired of talking about yourself?" Morgana deadpanned a teasing lilt to her voice. "Mordred and I are free this Saturday."

"What are you prattling on about now?" The lift door opened and he headed towards his office, ignoring the rather crude movements Percival was making his way.

"The double date, dear brother. Have you already forgotten? It's only been a few hours. Of course, if it isn't about you then why bother, right?"

"Are you still on that subject? That was ages ago. I thought we'd moved passed that when I refused to tell you his name," Arthur replied sinking into his chair.

"Saturday night, Arthur; we expect something fun."

She almost hung up, leaving Arthur in a state of 'what just happened,' but he quickly said, "I talked to Dad."

"Oh, and…?"

"You're going to have to talk to him, Morg. He's not budging."

"Well, neither am I. Mordred doesn't  _need_  him there; in fact,  _we_  don't need him there. But I do hope you bring your cute friend. I believe he'd look good in a suit…"

"Good-bye, Morgana," Arthur said and hung up. He tossed his mobile on his desk, burying his face in his hands. His little sister was such a pain in the ass. Though, it saddened him to hear the underlying hurt in her voice. She talked a good game, but deep down Morgana would always be Daddy's little girl. It wouldn't surprise Arthur if Uther did show up to her wedding. Of course, it also wouldn't surprise him if they got in a fight ten seconds after he arrived.

He looked up, jumping when he found Merlin standing in the doorway. His hair was messy, as always, and he seemed to be wearing a green t-shirt depicting some band Arthur had never heard of along with his signature grin. Arthur ignored the jolt in his stomach as he stood up.

"I've been thinking," he started crossing the room, stopping next to Elyan's desk.

"I hope you didn't hurt yourself," the blond teased.

"Oh, are we talking about you?" Merlin retorted, his grin widening. "Seriously, though, if you want me to meet your sister I think we should do something fun."

"Now you're starting to sound like Morgana," Arthur muttered crossing his arms, leaning against his desk. "What, may I ask, do you have in mind?"

"Bowling," Merlin replied suddenly excited. "I am a fantastic bowler. I might not look it, but I am, and my Uncle Gaius used to take me all the time when I was younger. Plus, I haven't been bowling in ages, and since you've gotten to pick where we go the last few times I just thought…"

"Bowling, huh?" Arthur stroked his chin, trying hard not to think about Merlin excited. If angry looked good on him, excitement was damn near intoxicating. If he could find a way to keep that look on Merlin's face forever, Arthur would do it in a heartbeat.

And where the hell did that come from? He shook his head, clearing it, and said, "Bowling sounds great. Morgana hates bowling, so it's a win-win."

Merlin's face fell slightly. "I don't want to do something your sister is going to hate."

"Oh, bugger her." Arthur waved off Merlin's concern. "She'll get over it."

"I guess I could always blame you," Merlin stated moving a step towards the blond.

"Now, how is that fair?" Arthur questioned taking his own step forward. "She's hardly going to blame you. You don't know her."

"Which gives me the perfect reason to blame you. She's already going to think it's your fault." They were within touching distance now.

"You're a devious bastard, Merlin Emrys."

"I try."

Their lips barely met when the door flew open. They hurriedly broke apart, turning to see Elyan and Percival laughing about something the latter said. They froze when they spotted Merlin and Arthur standing a hairsbreadth from each other.

"I," Merlin cleared his throat, "I should go."

"Yes," Arthur agreed nodding, ruffling his hair. "Have, uh, have a nice day, Merlin."

"You too, Arthur."

"Now, now Artie," Percival started, moving to block Merlin's path. "Who's your friend?" He flashed Arthur a small, knowing smirk, but it was gone seconds later.

"I'm Merlin," Merlin greeted holding his hand out. "You must be Percy."

"Artie talked about me?" Percival ignored the hand, his pale, blue eyes locking on Arthur.

"He might have mentioned you a few times," Merlin responded nodding, lowering his hand. "He says your libido is bigger than your IQ." Arthur barely held a snort at bay; maybe Merlin's inability to filter his words wasn't so bad. The younger man then turned to Elyan and waved.

"You two know each other?" Arthur asked slowly, looking between the two men, ignoring the confused look on Percival's face.

"He's Gwen's brother."

"Merlin and I haven't seen each other in nearly ten years," Elyan explained glancing at Arthur. The blond caught a flash of shame in Elyan's eyes, and he couldn't help agreeing with the dark skinned man.

"I should go. It was very nice to meet you." Merlin gave Percival one final smile, waved at both Arthur and Elyan, and maneuvered around the bigger man, heading out of the office. As soon as the door closed behind him, Elyan said, "I'm out of the bet."

"What?" Percival glanced down at him, giving him a confused look, obviously letting Merlin's 'libido' comment go for the moment. "You can't back out of the bet."

"I've known Merlin since he was six. If I knew it was him you'd picked, Arthur, I never would have agreed." Elyan sat down at his desk, turning his computer on. "If this gets out, Gwen won't let me hear the end of it. He's her best friend; she bit me when they were eight because I made him cry on accident. I'm out."

"Whatever pussy," Percival commented with a snort. "What about you, Artie? You want out, too?"

He could have easily ended it right there, before he could really hurt Merlin, and rode off into that metaphorical sunset with a man he could actually be falling for, but his pride knocked logic out of the way and Arthur heard himself say, "Why would I back out now? I'm winning."

He'd regret the decision, he knew it, but pride was the downfall to some of the greatest figures in history, and it was going to be his downfall, too.

 

**Merlin**

To Arthur's surprise, Morgana had actually been excited about bowling. The last time they went bowling had been Arthur's tenth birthday. Morgana had dropped a bowling ball on her foot and had to spend six weeks in a cast. She had decided then and there that bowling was the worst sport on the planet. She must really, really want to meet Merlin if she was agreeing to go play the 'worst sport on the planet.'

So, Saturday night, Arthur picked Merlin up at his flat. He wore his signature ratty jacket and a pair of torn jeans. Arthur wondered if he actually owned anything decent and recalled the outfit he wore on their first date. One decent outfit out of an entire wardrobe; Morgana may have to be consulted about this. Not that Merlin would appreciate it; apparently he didn't like gifts nearly as much as the rest of Arthur's partners.

"Okay, so I've decided I am paying tonight," Merlin said the moment he got into the car.

"No," Arthur responded simply, shaking his head.

"Arthur, you pay every time we go out. I'd like to contribute to something."

"I don't mind paying, Merlin," Arthur stated slowly, pulling back into traffic.

"Well I do," Merlin retorted crossing his arms. "I don't want you to throw out your credit card every time we go out. I'd like to pay for something, and I am paying tonight." He jutted his bottom lip out stubbornly, defiantly meeting Arthur's blue eyes, silently daring him to argue.

"You know, you're cute when you go all controlling like that," Arthur commented with a smirk and Merlin flushed, looking away from him. With a sigh, he said, "But if you want to pay then I won't stop you." It seemed Arthur wasn't the only one with a pride problem.

Morgana and Mordred were already at the alley when they arrived. Mordred, with his curly mop of hair and happy-go-lucky smile was chatting to a big, burly bloke while Morgana looked as if she'd rather be anywhere else. She looked up at their arrival, her face splitting into a grin, and she moved away from Mordred, heading towards them.

"Viper, ten o'clock," Arthur joked and received a snort in reply.

"I heard that," Morgana said stopping within touching distance of the two men. She turned to Merlin, giving him her most dazzling smile, and held out her hand. "I'm Morgana and everything Arthur told you about me is a lie."

"So, you're not my sister?" Arthur retorted raising his eyebrows at the dark look she threw him.

"I'm Merlin," Merlin greeted her with a smile, shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Morgana replied letting his hand go. She turned to Arthur and said, "I was right."

"About?"

"The suit thing." She smirked at the glare he threw her, and turned back to Merlin's confused face. "It's a joke between Arthur and I. No worries. Come on," she suddenly said, grabbing his arm, "meet Mordred. He's been dying to meet you."

"Really? I was under the impression Arthur hadn't told you anything about me," Merlin commented, but allowed himself to be dragged away. Arthur felt his hand get grabbed a second later, and he too was dragged across the floor.

"Of course he hasn't told me anything. He never tells me anything even when I set him up with my friends. But since Morgause has no intention of getting married, Mordred has to rely on Arthur's  _suitors_ to make him feel like less of an outsider."

"Well, I'm happy I could help," Merlin responded with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Morgana laughed at his answer, and Arthur knew that she instantly liked Merlin. He'd really have to be careful if his secret ever came out. His sister was known to get pretty vicious if people she cared about ended up hurt. Maybe it'd be best if he kept the two away from each other as much as possible.

After introductions were made, where Merlin and Mordred got on very well, the foursome went to get shoes and balls and claimed the furthest lane from the door. As Arthur typed their names into the computer, Morgana proceeded to question Merlin extensively about his life.

"Take a breath, Morgana. There's no need to overwhelm him with questions. He's not going anywhere," Arthur scolded the moment he finished, standing to squeeze himself between his sister and Merlin, effectively cutting off her interrogation.

"It's not every day I get to meet one of your friends, Arthur," she replied with a teasing glint in her green eyes. "I want to get to know him better."

"And maybe he doesn't want to share his life story with you," Arthur retorted crossing his arms, meeting her gaze with a defiant glare.

"It's fine," Merlin stated quickly, cutting off whatever Morgana was about to say. "I'm fine with the questions. Whatever you want to know I'll try to answer."

"Swell," Morgana replied with a grin. "Arthur can be such an overprotective prat sometimes it's not even funny. I remember when I was sixteen and was asked to a school dance by one of my male friends. Arthur stalked the poor boy for a week before he broke the date off at the last minute."

"He was suspicious," Arthur protested sitting up straighter. "He wanted to do  _things_ to you."

"In your mind, perhaps," she muttered shaking her head. "Besides, you only did it because Dad made you. I doubt he asked you to stalk him, but I know he had something to do with it."

She had an underlying bitterness in her voice, one they'd have to be deaf not to hear, and Merlin quickly changed the subject. "Arthur says you're getting married in three months. That's got to be exciting, right?"

 

**Merlin**

Bowling with the Pendragons was  _interesting_  to say the least. Between Arthur and Morgana's constant arguments and their battle over who could embarrass who the most with their childhood stories, Merlin wondered how they survived their childhood. Their father must have kept them separated as much as possible. Though, despite all their childish animosity, Merlin could tell they cared deeply for each other. Sometimes he wished he had a sibling.

He stuck close to Mordred when the two siblings started in on each other, sharing exasperated looks with him, and laughing at their partners' antics. He found he had a few things in common with Morgana's fiancé. They both went through a Harry Potter/magic phase when they were younger, both of them lost their fathers quite recently, and both would kill to own a TARDIS.

"I think I'd go back to the medieval times," Mordred said slowly as the group changed out of their bowling shoes and back into their street shoes. "I'd like to see how they  _actually_  lived, you know?"

"Not me," Merlin responded following Mordred up to the counter, listening to Arthur and Morgana bicker behind them. "I wouldn't mind going back to the sixties, maybe catching a Beatles concert before they broke up. My uncle told me about going to see them when he was sixteen. He snuck out of his house with his friends, but my granddad caught him when he tried to sneak back in."

"You two gossip like old biddies," Arthur commented wrapping his arm around Merlin's waist. "What are you two talking about?"

"Socks," Merlin retorted with a shrug.

"Yes, socks and how they go missing in the dryer," Mordred stated nodding, a serious look on his face. "It's one of those mysteries we'll never solve."

"You two are weird." Arthur shook his head, released Merlin, took his shoes, and continued towards the counter.

"At least you're bonding," Morgana replied kissing Mordred on the cheek. She then took his shoes and followed Arthur. The moment the two were gone, both Mordred and Merlin started laughing.

After saying good-bye to Mordred and Morgana, and exchanging mobile numbers with the pair, Merlin rode with Arthur back to his flat. Looking out the window, he said, "I don't see what's so evil about your sister. I thought she was very nice."

"It's all a trick," Arthur responded with a serious look on his face, his eyes locked on the windscreen. "I've seen her take down nicer men with her  _charms_. I pity poor Mordred." He then grinned, glancing over at Merlin. "She's alright, I guess," he admitted after a short pause. "Trust me though, she was a nightmare growing up."

"I also don't see why your father doesn't like Mordred. I thought he was great. We made plans to go to the pub next week. He's asked me to look over his newest book."

"Hey, don't be trying to steal my sister's fiancé," Arthur playfully scolded, but Merlin saw something flash in his eyes. However, it was gone before he could pinpoint what it was exactly. "She's spent a good three years training him; I don't know if she has the strength and patience to train another."

"I wasn't going to  _steal_  him," Merlin replied with a small smile, shaking his head. "I just think he'd be a good friend. I  _like_  making friends, Arthur."

"Friends are…" Arthur trailed off, making a vague gesture with his hand.

"You've got Percival and Elyan," Merlin pointed out fiddling with a loose thread on his coat. "They're your friends, right?"

"They're work friends, Merlin. I don't hangout with them outside of work. We don't go to the pub; we don't watch football or rugby on the weekends. I see them at work, we talk at work, and we keep our relationship at work. They aren't my friends." Merlin had a feeling Arthur was holding something back, but decided it was better if he didn't push it.

"Alright, they aren't your friends. I got it." The two men fell silent. Merlin propped his elbow on the windowsill, resting his head in his palm, while Arthur glared out the window. For a while, they probably could hear a pin drop, but finally Arthur broke the silence. "Look, I'm sorry okay."

"It's fine," Merlin replied softly, keeping his eyes on the window.

"No, it's not. I shouldn't be yelling at you. I mean, those two are barely work friends. I didn't even know Elyan had a sister let alone someone who actually works at P.I. And you have every right to make new friends. Mordred looks as if he would be a good mate for you."

"Thanks." Merlin glanced over, offering Arthur a small smile.

"Lord knows you'll need somebody to talk to about your mysterious disappearing socks," Arthur muttered and Merlin snorted, shaking his head.

When Arthur pulled up to Merlin's building, the two sat in silence for a few moments. It was, once again, Arthur who broke the silence. "You know, for a sport that I don't exactly follow, tonight wasn't so bad."

"No, it wasn't," Merlin agreed, nodding his head.

"I wouldn't mind doing it again, but, you know, without Morgana."

"Anytime Arthur."

They hadn't realized how close they had gotten until their foreheads lightly bumped against each other. With a smile, Arthur whispered, "Hi."

"Hello," Merlin greeted softly, grinning.

Their lips met, melding together into a slow, tentative kiss. It had been their first, real kiss since the one in the stairwell. And just like that kiss, it was just as fantastic. Merlin felt fingers bury themselves in his hair, causing him to shiver, as his palm wrapped around the back of Arthur's neck.

The kiss abruptly ended when a horn honked a few cars down from them. In surprise, the two men broke apart, ramming into their doors, breathing heavily. "I-I'll," Merlin cleared his throat, trying again, "I'll see you…"

"Yeah," Arthur murmured nodding, looking down at his lap.

As Merlin got out of the car, he slowly walked towards his building, stumbling over his feet a little. It was hard to believe that two weeks ago he couldn't stand Arthur. Now, it seemed he just might be falling for the blond prathead.

God help him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my mind, Merlin and Mordred probably would have been pretty good friends if given the chance, but the show messed that all up with Mordred's destiny and all that other jazz. So, I decided to fix it.
> 
> And thanks to everyone who read and commented last chapter.
> 
> See ya!!!


	7. Brunch With Uther

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who commented and left kudos/bookmarked. And thanks for reading.
> 
> Leave me a comment if you can.
> 
> Bye!!

" _We should have lunch,"_  a female voice stated the moment he picked up his mobile. Bleary eyed, Merlin sat up, running a hand through his messy hair, looking around his room. " _Hello? Merlin, are you there?"_

_"_ Who is this?" he asked curiously. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but it was too damn early to get his brain to work, so he just couldn't put a name to it. "And how did you get this number?"

" _That's funny, Merlin. You should really take that show on the road."_ And it clicked.

"Morgana? What is it with you Pendragons calling early on Sundays?" he murmured pulling his knees to his chest.

" _It's almost nine_ ," Morgana replied exasperated. " _Do you always sleep this late on Sundays_?"

"You said something about lunch," Merlin responded with a sigh. He spent an entire week getting up early, what was wrong with him having a lie-in for  _one_  day?

" _Yes. I'll be at my café all day today. Maybe you can stop by for lunch. I wanted to talk to you without Arthur. He's such a prude sometimes."_

Before Merlin could respond, his mobile beeped, indicating another phone call. "Can you hold on a second? I have another call."

" _Don't be too long,"_  she responded and he nodded, pulling the phone from his ear. He fiddled with it for a moment before putting it back to his ear.

" _Don't accept it,"_  Arthur said the second Merlin opened his mouth. He closed it, furrowing his eyebrows. " _Morgana's on the other end, asking you to do something, I know it."_

"How did…?" the younger man trailed off, shaking his head.

" _Shopping? Lunch? I bet it's lunch because you don't seem the type to particularly like shopping, and she's know this."_

"Hold on." Merlin switched back to Morgana and started, "Hey…"

_"He's on the other end isn't he? Tell him to sod off. You are a grown man, Merlin. You can have lunch with whomever you want."_

"Look, Morgana…"

" _Does your mobile have three-way calling?"_

"What?"

" _Oh, never mind. Give me a moment."_ And she was gone. He leaned back into his headboard, switching back over to Arthur, but his line was busy. It seemed Morgana had called him and they were, no doubt, arguing over the phone. It seemed dating Arthur meant dating his family.

" _Merlin, are you still…?"_

_"Shut up, Morgana,"_ Arthur interrupted, cutting Morgana off. " _He doesn't_ _want_ _to have lunch with you, so…"_

_"How do you know, Arthur? Can you read his mind? I wasn't aware you had been gifted that ability. How do I go about getting it?"_

" _That's not_ …"

Merlin sighed, getting out of bed. He listened to the bickering siblings, stumbling across his room, opening the door. He headed down the hallway, scratching the back of his head, yawning. Tossing his phone on the kitchen counter, the muffled voices of Arthur and Morgana could be heard as he dug through the cabinets for something to eat.

Finding almost nothing in the cabinets, he turned to the bowl full of fruit. Not sure when his uncle bought the fruit-it still looked edible at least-he grabbed a banana, snatched his mobile off the counter, and headed towards the sofa. Sitting down, he balanced his mobile between his shoulder and ear and began peeling the banana, tuning back into the conversation.

"… _want to have lunch with him?"_  Arthur was saying irritably.

" _I can have lunch with whomever I want, Arthur,"_  Morgana responded equally irritable.

"I don't mind having lunch with her," Merlin finally said, after swallowing a bit of banana. He heard both siblings start, obviously they had forgotten he was on the other end. "It's not like I had anything to do today."

" _Are you sure?"_  Arthur asked over Morgana's quiet, " _Ha."_

_"He's perfectly capable of making his own decisions, Arthur,"_  Morgana stated slowly, a smile in her voice. " _Merlin, I'll be here all day. Stop by when you want."_  And she hung up, leaving the two men connected.

" _Look, if you want out…"_

"I don't mind having lunch with your sister," Merlin replied, talking over Arthur. "I really wish you two would call when I'm not sleeping…"

_"It's nine o'clock,_ " Arthur said exasperated and it took all Merlin had not to laugh. " _I could come along…"_

"I don't need a sitter, Arthur," Merlin responded trying to keep his voice even. Arthur was acting like this was a death sentence instead of lunch. "It's lunch."

" _With the viper_."

"I can handle myself."

" _But…_ "

"I'll call you after lunch," he replied and hung up, tossing his phone on the cushion next to him. He shoved the rest of his banana in his mouth, stood up, and carried the peel into the kitchen, ignoring his suddenly ringing phone.

It was ridiculous, how Arthur was acting. He was making it seem like Morgana was about to rip Merlin's head off and spit venom into his body. She seemed perfectly nice when he met her during their group outing a week ago. Why would she suddenly change her tune?

Of course, Merlin didn't exactly know Morgana. He didn't exactly know Arthur either. He'd only been dating the older Pendragon for a fortnight, and it seemed they'd barely scratched the surface of their relationship. As for Morgana, he'd only known her a week.

He shook his head, moving down the hall back to his room. He was being silly, letting Arthur's paranoia get to him. There was nothing wrong with having lunch with Morgana. She probably just wanted to get to know him better. He was technically her brother's… something. He and Arthur really had to discuss their relationship sometime soon.

It wasn't like he wasn't having a good time, he was, and again it had only been two weeks. Plus, they hadn't exactly done anything since that kiss after they went bowling. Okay, so maybe discussing their relationship could wait another week. They didn't need to jump into anything just yet. Surprisingly, Arthur was turning out to be a really decent guy, and Merlin didn't want to chase him away by moving too fast.

Shaking his head again, he began digging in his closet, looking for something to wear. He settled on a pair of dark green, corduroy pants and a flannel along with his old, ratty converse sneakers. After a quick shower, he scribbled a note to his uncle, snatched his mobile off the couch, donned his tattered jacket, and headed out. He needed a few hours to clear his head before he ventured into a lunch with Morgana.

**Merlin**

The moment Merlin hung up, Arthur called Morgana back. She answered on the first ring, a smirked in her voice. " _Yes, dear brother?"_

"I wasted my best insults on you," he commented leaning back into his sofa.

" _Oh, Arthur, I'm flattered,"_  she teased and he snorted. " _Okay, so why exactly did I ask Merlin out to lunch? I'm not complaining, he is a very sweet, adorable guy, and I really like him. It also makes me wonder what he sees in you."_

"Believe me, I wouldn't be asking if I didn't have a reason," Arthur replied curtly, ignoring her jibe. He recalled their bowling date and how Morgana had instantly latched on to Merlin and what she'd do if the bet was discovered, but his father had been hounding him about his new 'friend' and wanting to meet 'her.' Uther had even asked Arthur to invite 'her' over for lunch today, but Arthur had told his father that Merlin had plans.

" _Does Dad want to meet him?"_  Morgana asked slowly, curiously, suddenly not smiling. " _You have told Dad he's a guy, right? You're not pulling another Oswald and pretending he's a girl, are you?"_

"Merlin's gender hasn't come up," Arthur lied scratching his nose.

" _I thought you were done with all the games, Arthur. What was the point of coming out to Uther if you're just going to pull the same stuff you pulled in your teens?"_

"I am, but you know how Dad gets…"

" _Oh, he can just get the hell over it. You're a grown man, Arthur, capable of making your own decisions. And if Uther is more concerned about grandchildren than your happiness then he doesn't deserve a son like you. Just remember that."_

"Maybe…"

" _Don't maybe me. Just,"_ she sighed, sniffing, " _don't let Uther treat Merlin like he treats Mordred. He's going to have to meet him eventually."_

_"_ I know, but I have my reasons to keep Merlin away." And Arthur did have his reasons. Uther was vicious and liked to tear every one of Arthur's partners to shreds (with the exception of Valiant, and only because of the man's family), and Merlin just wasn't ready to meet him. Arthur wasn't sure whether he'd ever be ready.

"Look can you," he started, running a hand down his face, "can you just keep him busy for a few hours and I'll take him off your hands. Take him shopping, buy him a new coat, I don't care."

" _You can't keep Merlin from Dad forever, Arthur_ ," Morgana said softly, finally picking up on Arthur's reason. " _They'll eventually meet and you know it."_

"Will you do it?" Arthur asked ignoring her words.

She sighed but agreed. " _Only because I like Merlin and I'd hate to have to kill Uther if he makes him cry."_

"I doubt Dad would make Merlin cry," Arthur muttered with an eye roll.

" _He made Leon cry_ ," Morgana pointed out slowly.

"Leon isn't Merlin." Arthur wasn't even sure where the words came from, but he knew them to be true. Leon wasn't Merlin, he'd never be Merlin, and he knew right away that Uther couldn't intimidate Merlin like he could the others. "He's different." And just like that, he didn't have much problem introducing Merlin to his father someday.

" _You really like him don't you? You may have finally found the one, brother dear. Don't mess it up."_ And she was gone, leaving behind the dull drone of the dial tone. Guilt and regret bubbled in Arthur's stomach as he ended the connection, dropping his mobile on the coffee table.

Pulling his knees up, he thought about what Morgana had just said. It had only been two weeks, he wasn't exactly sure if Merlin was 'the one,' but he couldn't keep ignoring the way his stomach swooped every time he saw the other man. Or the last kiss they had shared, leaving him hungry for more; much more. It was taking a lot of willpower just for him to keep going with the bet, the urge to call it off becoming stronger and stronger with each passing day.

He was falling hard and fast, and it was scaring the crap out of him. Perhaps the smartest plan would be to call off the bet. He grabbed his mobile off the coffee table, intending to call Percival, but a knock interrupted his plan. He replaced his phone, getting to his feet.

Walking towards the door, he kicked one of his shoes out-of-the-way, and pulled it open. Uther stood in the doorway, fixing his emerald-green tie. He looked up, a smile on his face and said, "Surprise."

"You're two hours early," Arthur stated glancing at his watch. He wasn't even dressed for lunch. He still wore his pajama pants and an old, Manchester United jersey. Hell, his hair was still sticking up all over his head and he really needed a shower.

"My meeting ended earlier than I expected," Uther responded with a tight smile, his eyes raking up and down Arthur's body. A look of disappointed flickered in his eyes and he stiffly said, "Have you just gotten up?"

"No, I've been up a while," Arthur replied defensively. This was his flat, he was perfectly capable of wearing whatever he pleased and Uther couldn't do a damn thing about it.

"May I come in?" Uther asked softly, eyeing his son warily.

"You might as well." the younger man stepped back, allowing his father into his home. He closed the door behind the older man, leaning against it.

Uther took a moment to look around, his eyes falling on the Oxford sweatshirt lying across the back of the couch and the shoes sitting on the floor. They flicked over to Arthur's empty takeout containers still sitting on the counter along with the empty beer cans.

"I offered to hire you a maid," Uther commented crossly, turning back to his son.

"And I respectfully declined," Arthur retorted crossing his arms. It was a bit of a lie. He had a few maids over the years, but they could never get his flat to look the way he wanted it; lived-in. So, he ended up firing them. Now, he lived the way he lived and, again, Uther couldn't do a damn thing about it.

"That is your decision," Uther muttered sounding as if it hurt to say the words. He turned a disapproving gaze to the television, his nose wrinkling at the program. It was one of those old, American sitcoms. Uther found them to be a waste of time, but Arthur sometimes found them intriguing.

"Just give me five minutes to change," Arthur stated collecting his shoes and sweatshirt, taking a few seconds to switch the television off. "We'll leave afterwards."

"That's fine," Uther replied carefully taking a seat on the edge of one of Arthur's barstools. The blond nodded once and carried his stuff down the hall, tossing it into his semi-clean room the moment he opened the door. He changed into a pair of clean jeans and a gray, long-sleeved shirt, shoved his feet into a pair of brown boots, and headed into his bathroom.

He ran a wet comb through his hair, trying to make it go flat, and then headed back towards his living room. He greeted his father's sour look with a smile, grabbed his leather bomber jacket off the unoccupied barstool, and said, "I'm ready."

"I see," Uther sniffed getting to his feet. "Shall we go."

"Yes."

As they drove to the restaurant, Uther bored Arthur about the details of his meeting, and by the time they were sitting down to brunch the younger man knew more about paper than he wanted and Uther seemed to be in a better mood.

"It was a shame your friend couldn't join us," Uther commented absentmindedly, a good ten minutes into brunch, glancing over a menu. "I would love to meet her."

"Yeah," Arthur murmured tapping his fingers against the table. "Father, about that."

"Yes." Uther looked up, a curious look on his face.

"She's not exactly…"

Before Arthur could continue, their waiter appeared at their table. Both men ordered, the waiter nodded, and then disappeared back into the kitchen. Arthur leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers again, chewing on his bottom lip.

"That insufferable  _'writer'_  called me today," Uther started softly, a sneer on his face.

"Mordred?" Arthur sat up straighter, his fingers stilling.

"Yes,  _Mordred._  He is unworthy of your sister. She deserves a man from a decent family, one who can give her strong, well-cared for children. He cannot give that to Morgana with his child's fantasy of becoming 'famous.' Has he even published a book?"

"Three actually," Arthur spoke softly, fiddling with his fork. "I've read one of them." Despite not being his type of genre, it wasn't a bad book. He'd definitely recommend it to someone. Maybe he should give it to Merlin when he saw him again.

For a moment, Uther looked as if he were sucking on a lemon. His face then went blank and he said, "Morgana insists on marrying him, and I cannot stop her. Just like I couldn't stop Morgause from throwing her life away. If their mother was alive…" his voice trailed off into inaudible mutters. Clearing his throat, Uther asked, "What does your friend's family do?"

Arthur crossed his arms, clearing his throat as he said, "Uh, their father was in a band before he died."

"A band?" Uther's eyebrows rose into his hairline, suspicion creeping into his voice. "What did he play in this 'band.'"

"Uh, the bass. He was actually very good." Arthur had looked up Balinor's band online after he and Merlin parted the night of their first date. He realized he recognized one of the songs from a school dance, and he had found himself listening to it when he was missing Merlin.

"Uh-huh." Skepticism rang in Uther's voice. "And what does your friend's mother do?"

"She's, uh, she works as a maid," Arthur replied slowly, resting his hands on the table.

Uther didn't respond, but Arthur caught the disappointment in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something but couldn't think of anything and closed it again. An awkward silence settled over the table as Arthur tapped his fingers against the table, jiggling his leg.

"What about your friend? What does she do?"

It was now or never, Arthur knew he couldn't keep letting his dad think Merlin was a girl. So, he sucked in a deep breath and softly said, "He works in the mailroom."

"What was that?" Uther leaned forward, tilting his ear towards his son. "I didn't quite catch that."

"He works in the mailroom," Arthur said a bit louder, his fingers and leg stilling again.

"He?"

"Yes, his name is Merlin. He's a few years younger than me and works in your mailroom."

Uther nodded, a dark look settling in his eyes. "You do remember what happened with Oswald, right?"

"It's different Dad," Arthur murmured as his hands curled into fists. "Merlin is different."

"So, it's more like Nimueh then. The harlot you dated when you were fifteen. She had been 'different' too."

"It's not the same thing," Arthur stated slowly, forcing himself to stay calm, his eyes locking on the table top. "And Nimueh wasn't a  _harlot,_ Dad. You didn't even know her."

"No, but I knew her type, Arthur. She knew who you were, knew what you could give her, and took advantage of that."

"No, she…" Arthur trailed off, shaking his head.

"And I am sure this  _Merlin_  is the same way," Uther continued, speaking over his son, his voice even, almost nonchalant, but his eyes burning with displeasure.

Arthur's head snapped up at that statement, anger burning in his eyes. "You know nothing about him," he spoke slowly, softly, his voice shaking slightly.

"He's just another person willing to take advantage of your feelings for him." Again Uther chose to ignore Arthur. "He wants out of the mailroom and sees your money as the only way of achieving his goal. This is the exact reason you'd be better off marrying someone from a…""

"From a what, Dad? A wealthy family? An arrangement you can use to your advantage?" Arthur wasn't sure where this anger was coming from, but he knew he had to defend Merlin no matter what his father said. "I don't want to marry someone for your benefit."

"You hardly know this Merlin boy," Uther argued in a soft voice. "You've only known him a few weeks."

"And I know I feel deeper for him than anyone else I've dated," Arthur snapped leaning over the table. "I could…" the blond trailed off, breaking eye contact, biting his lower lip, lowering himself back into his chair.

"Could what?"

"I have to go," he said getting to his feet.

"Sit down. We are not down here," Uther snarled gesturing to his son's seat.

"I'm sorry father," Arthur replied and walked out, ignoring the older man's shouts. The moment he was outside, he dialed up Percival's numbed.

" _What?"_ the bigger man snapped when he answered, his voice groggy from sleep.

"I'm out," Arthur said slowly, haling a cab. "You'll have your money on your desk tomorrow." And he hung up before Percival could say anything else. He stashed his mobile back in his pocket, got into the nearly arrived cab, and rattled off Merlin's address.

**Merlin**

Merlin was just getting home from his walk when he noticed Arthur sitting on his building's stairs, fiddling with his mobile. Arthur looked up at Merlin's arrival, getting to his feet. Eyebrows furrowed, Merlin headed towards the blond and said, "I told you I could handle…"

Hands grabbed his face and lips cut him off, the kiss sending shivers down his spine and leaving his heart thudding painfully against his chest. Surprise settled over him for a brief second but awareness caught up to him as his back hit a wall and he wrapped one arm around Arthur's shoulders, fisting his jacket in his left hand while the other hand buried itself in the blonde's hair.

"M-maybe…" Merlin started trailing off when Arthur's lips left his mouth and strayed to his neck. Shivers wracked the dark-haired man again and he forgot what he was about to say. He remembered a second later, noticing how busy the street was, and opened his mouth to suggest they head inside, but another kiss and a tongue cut him off. Almost as if reading his mind, Merlin felt Arthur's hand dig into his coat pocket, pulling his keys from inside.

"I'd ask your place or mine," Arthur started softly against Merlin's lips, "but we're already here." He then reluctantly pushed himself away, shoved the keys into the younger man's chest, grabbed his hand, and dragged him towards the front door.


	8. The Ultimatum

Morgana sat at a table, in the back, pouring over a book when Merlin walked into her café. He was flustered, his face still a little red, but he couldn't keep the slight grin off his face. He just couldn't get what just happened out of his head. He could still imagine Arthur's hands on him, still remember how well they fit as their bodies moved together, could still feel tingles everywhere his lips touched, and it took everything Merlin had to get out of his bed and go to this lunch.

He did leave the slumbering blond a note, telling him he'd be back in an hour. With any luck, Merlin would be back before Arthur even noticed he was gone. And just maybe, he'd be ready to answer some questions. Namely, what had prompted his impromptu, yet not unpleasant, visit?

"Sorry I'm late," he said as he sat across from Morgana.

"It's fine," she responded, slowly looking up. "I've just been keeping myself busy." She froze, her eyes narrowing slightly, a knowing smile spreading across her porcelain face. "It appears  _you've_  been busy, too."

"What," Merlin cleared his throat, his face burning red, "what are you talking about?" She couldn't know; how could she know? He had taken another, quick shower before leaving. He tried to subtly sniff himself, wondering if he had the lingering scent of Arthur on him, but he merely smelled like his soap.

She merely quirked her eyebrows, her smirk growing, and said, "I understand perfectly. Don't worry about it, Merlin."

"W-what…?" he trailed off, shaking his head. Chewing his lip, he found himself explaining, "It's not like we planned it. I mean, he just showed up, and I…" his face flushed again, and he looked down at the table."

"Merlin, I'm not judging you," she responded kindly, lightly patting his hand. "In fact, I'm surprised Arthur waited this long. I do believe, before you, his record was three days. You've set a good example. Plus, it's been, what, four dates for you two? You've waited long enough."

"I'm not exactly sure what happened," Merlin continued watching as Morgana took her hand back. "I mean, I  _know_  what happened, but I don't know why."

"It's obvious why," Morgana pointed, a smile in her voice.

"No, not…" Merlin's face burned again and he looked up at her smiling face. "N-not that. I meant that I wasn't expecting to see him until later tonight, and suddenly he's sitting outside my flat, waiting for me, looking as if he had come back from Hell."

"Close enough," Morgana muttered, suddenly not smiling anymore.

"What does that mean?" Merlin furrowed his eyebrows, eyeing the brunette woman curiously.

"Nothing," she responded with a smile. "What else did he say?"

Still watching her warily, Merlin said, "Nothing much. We didn't actually  _talk_  much."

"I'm sure everything is fine," she stated but even to Merlin she sounded skeptical. "But I did not invite you out to discuss yours and Arthur's sex lives." This time, she chose to ignore his flushed face. "I want to know a bit more about you."

"Me? I'm not really  _that_  interesting," Merlin said softly, pulling his arms across the table so they rested against his body. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about your family. Do you have any brothers or sisters? What do your mother and father do? Are they still together? There is so much I want to know about you. Arthur has told me virtually nothing, and it seems we barely got to talk last Saturday. Though, Mordred has not stopped talking about you since that night." She lowered her voice, laughing softly as she said, "I think he has a man crush on you."

Merlin smiled, shaking his head. He'd never actually had someone have a 'man crush' on him. At least, never a straight man; it felt nice. "Tell him he's not so bad himself," he replied softly, looking down at his hands. "In a purely platonic way of course," he hurriedly added much to Morgana's amusement.

"Your message will be passed on," she replied with a nod. "Let's just talk; you and me. I want to know about you, and I can tell you a few things about Arthur. I think we can be very good friends. Don't you?"

"Of course," Merlin agreed nodding. "I would really like that."

"Great!" Morgana smiled, gesturing for Henry to bring them something to eat. "Let's start with your family. What are they like?"

* * *

 

It was obvious Arthur was alone when he awoke. Unless he imagined what happened a few hours ago, which he did not, he knew there should be a warm, lanky body burrowed into his side. Instead, there was a slightly lukewarm spot and a note sitting on the pillow.

Snatching the note up, he sat up and, running a hand through his hair, he read:

_Prat,_

_Out to lunch with your sister. I will try to be back in an hour. Make yourself at home._

_Merlin_

_P.S. Not sure how such a pain in the ass manages to look so adorable sleeping, but you pulled it off._

With a small smile, Arthur put the note down and got out of bed. He searched around for something to wear, deciding on Merlin's oversized, green dressing gown. He shrugged it on, nearly tripped over a shoe, and stumbled out of the room and down the hall.

Yawning, trying really hard not to think about his disastrous brunch with Uther, he walked into the main room and froze. An older man sat at the counter, spoon dangling over an almost empty bowl of porridge, blue eyes watching Arthur warily.

"Please tell me you aren't a thief," he stated slowly.

"I am not a thief," Arthur retorted, hurriedly pulling Merlin's robe closed, tying the belt.

"Good because that robe only cost my nephew a few pounds. I doubt it's worth stealing," the older man replied and returned to his meal.

"You must be Gaius." Arthur almost offered the older man a hand, but thought better of it. Had their roles been reversed-and he tried really hard not to think about it-Arthur probably wouldn't have accepted a handshake either.

"And you're not Gwaine, so I am assuming Merlin finally accepted that date with Arthur," Gaius stated getting to his feet, carrying his empty bowl to the sink. "By the way, getting him those pens was a waste of money. Who in their right mind would want a golden pen set? The ink ran out quicker than I expected and I had to start using my cheaper pens again." He trailed off into mutters about youth wasting their money on stupid things and how BICs were the better pen anyway.

It took Arthur a moment to figure out what Gaius was talking about, and when it clicked he smiled and shook his head. "At least Merlin didn't throw those gifts away."

"What was that?" Gaius glanced over at him, his eyebrow raising. "I'm not as young as I used to be. You need to speak up."

"Nothing," Arthur replied shaking his head. He crossed the room, sinking down onto the stool Gaius abandoned, watching the older man. "Merlin has told me a couple things about you."

"He's told me about you, too. Though, I was not aware he had started courting you. That's new to me, but I believe it has something to do with the fact that we haven't really seen each other in a few weeks. Lately, I've been working nights and he's usually gone before I get up."

"He said you worked in A&E at the hospital," Arthur stated lightly tapping his fingers against the counter. "I think I remember you from a few years ago. The night is a bit vague, my mates and I were a little drunk." Arthur looked down to avoid the disapproving look Gaius threw him and hurriedly said, "That was when I was younger. I don't do pub-crawls anymore."

Flashing him a skeptical look, Gaius said, "A lot of people come and go in A&E, but I wouldn't doubt you were there." He turned his back to Arthur again and proceeded to wash the dishes in the sink.

"So, you're Merlin's mother's brother?" Arthur asked after a very long pause, linking his fingers together and resting his hands on the counter.

"Yes," Gaius replied nodding, putting the dishes away.

"Any other siblings?"

"Where did Merlin go?" Gaius turned to look at Arthur, ignoring the blonde's question, giving him a raised eyebrow.

"He had a lunch date with my sister," Arthur replied slowly, cursing the fact that he asked Morgana to ask him to lunch. This would be less embarrassing if Merlin were here to act as buffer. "He said he'd be back soon."

"Okay," Gaius responded nodding. He then headed down the hall, calling over his shoulder, "Can you do me a favor and collect the clothes littering my floor? If you are going to fornicate in my flat the least you can do is pick up after yourself." And, leaving Arthur's face burning red, the older man shut the bathroom door behind him.

* * *

 

Arthur was showered and fully dressed when Merlin returned home. He heard the keys in the lock and looked up from the television, a smile spreading across his face when the door opened and the younger man stepped inside.

"How was lunch?" Arthur asked curiously, glancing back at the telly.

"Long, but very informative," Merlin replied closing the door. He dropped his keys on the counter and crossed the room, plopping down next to Arthur. "Your sister told me you were into anime until you were sixteen and your hobbies consisted of fencing and making a royal prat out of yourself on the football field."

"Yes, well, Morgana claimed she was going to marry David Tennant and wrote bad poetry about him when  _she_  was sixteen," Arthur stated triumphantly. "Mention that next time you see her."

"How bad was it?" Merlin eyed Arthur curiously, turning to face him.

"' _Doctor, I love you. Rose doesn't deserve you. We'll be happy riding off in the TARDIS. Let me marry you posthaste.'_  That's the only one I can remember because it was so short and posthaste reminds me of toothpaste." Ignoring the amused look on Merlin's face, Arthur continued, "Besides, she had notebooks full of them; each poem exceedingly worse than the last. She cried when he left Doctor Who."

"I'd never have guessed she liked Doctor Who," Merlin stated turning back to the telly.

"Oh, she didn't  _like_  it per se. She only watched it for David. I doubt she understood what was going on half the time. I think Mordred would cry if I told him this. Do you think I should?" he glanced over at Merlin, flashing him a grin when he gave him a 'are you kidding me; that's a bad idea' type look. "I'm only joking, Merlin."

They were quiet for a few moments, but Arthur was the first to break the silence. "I, uh, I met Gaius."

"And?" Merlin kept his eyes on the telly, his face blank. "Did he, erm, say anything?"

"He told me that if we were going to fornicate in his flat we should clean up after ourselves." Merlin's face turned three shades of red and he buried it in his hands. "He also said that I wasted money on those pens I bought you and he gave me the 'eyebrow of doom.'"

"I shouldn't have left," Merlin muttered into his hands.

"Hey, I didn't mind," Arthur replied with a smile. When the younger man neglected to lower his hands, Arhtur took it upon himself to do it for him. "I didn't mind," he repeated moving his head so he and Merlin were looking each other in the eyes. "As family meetings go, this one wasn't nearly as bad as some of the meetings I've been through. When you've been chased out of a girl's room by her father throwing holy water at you, you're pretty much ready for anything."

"Holy water?" Merlin's eyebrows shot up, a smile threatened to break free, and he gave Arthur a suspicious look. "Who keeps holy water lying around?"

"Him apparently. He also screamed something at me, but I fell out of the window and everything was a bit disoriented. The worse part, I had left my clothes in her room. So, there I was, dripping wet from holy water, in the middle of the night, freezing cold, starkers, with this insane man screaming, what I think was, an exorcism at me, and the entire street is standing outside their houses, watching all this like it's a normal occurrence. Which, I found out later, it was." Unable to hold his laughter in anymore, Merlin snorted, quickly covering his mouth with his hand. "You laugh now, but when your picture turns up in a magazine the following day with the caption 'Paper Tycoon's Son Baring All' it's not as funny as it sounds."

That resulted in Merlin laughing harder, his shoulder shaking, his face turning red. Arthur joined him for a few moments, but his laughter died when he thought about his father. He had tried not to think about Uther, and had almost succeeded, but now he knew he couldn't suppress what happened forever. There was going to be ramifications for what happened, he had ditched his father halfway through brunch for the man Uther did not approve of, and he was definitely not happy about that fact.

"Are you okay?" Merlin asked suddenly serious, his laughter dying away. "You've gone quiet and you're a bit paler than usual."

"I'm fine," Arthur replied with a forced smile. "Just thinking is all."

"What about?"

"I have to tell you something," Arthur stated turning to face Merlin. The younger man did the same, blue eyes meeting blue, and he nodded, gesturing for the blond to continue. "There's a reason Morgana asked you to lunch. I was having brunch with my father."

"And you don't want me to meet him?" Something akin to hurt flashed across Merlin's face, and Arthur felt his stomach drop. As the dark haired man made to turn away, Arthur grabbed his shoulders, keeping him in place.

"Not exactly," he quickly explained. "Look, I would love to introduce you to my father and have you two hit it off. Really, I would love nothing more than for that to happen…"

"But," Merlin prompted slowly, almost bitterly.

Arthur quickly recapped the brunch, skipping over the phone call with Percival (one he did not regret one, tiny bit) and his realization. It was probably a little too soon to tell Merlin that he could be falling harder for him that he realized. When he finished, Merlin was quiet for almost a whole second before he said, "Your father sounds like an ass."

"He has his moments," Arthur replied nodding.

"I'm not with you for your money," Merlin ranted angrily. "Nor am I trying to get out of the mailroom. Would I hate it, no, but I'm not going to use you to do so. I am perfectly capable of doing what needs to be done and if he can't see that…"

"Merlin, believe me, I know," Arthur said hurriedly, cutting the younger man off. "I tried explaining that to Uther, but I'd have better luck teaching a brick to talk. He's stubborn, and once he gets something in his head it takes nearly selling your soul to get him to change his mind."

"So, you're not ashamed of me?" Merlin asked curiously, looking away from Arthur and at his knees.

"Gods no, I could never be ashamed of you. Slightly annoyed, sure, but never ashamed." Merlin glared at the 'slightly annoyed' part, and Arthur grinned to show he didn't mean it. "One day, Uther will meet you and have to accept you because…"

"Because what?"

_Too soon; way too soon, Arthur_ , the blond told himself.  _You can't jump into these things. Merlin probably doesn't even feel the same way. And you don't even know if these feelings are real, yet._  "Uh, just because," Arthur quickly replied, noticing the flash of disappointment in Merlin's eyes before it was replaced by skepticism.

"Okay," Merlin muttered opting to let it go; at least for now. Arthur could tell they were far from done with this topic. "Other than brunch and meeting Gaius, did anything else happen today?"

"Nope," Arthur lied, shaking his head. "What about you? Tell me what else Morgana said today at lunch."

"I think I should go to bed," Merlin stated with a fake yawn, attempting to get to his feet.

"It's the afternoon," Arthur replied grabbing the younger man's hand and yanking him back, spilling Merlin into his lap. Wrapping his arms around his waist, he said, "I'm not letting you go until you tell me."

"Are you threatening me, Mr. Pendragon?" Merlin questioned curiously, trying to look annoyed but failing miserably, fighting a smile.

"No, I am being forcefully persuasive," Arthur teased burying his face in Merlin's hair. "Is it working?"

"I don't think so."

"How's about now?" he nipped at the younger man's ear, causing him to shiver. "Is it working yet?"

"M-maybe."

He trailed kisses down Merlin's neck, sending more shivers through the younger man, stopping at his collarbone. "How about now?"

"You're getting warmer," Merlin whispered moving his head so he captured the blonde's lips with his own.

"N-now you're… just distracting… me," Arthur murmured between kisses.

"So what if I am," Merlin retorted quietly, pushing the blond back, into the couch, shifting his body so he was straddling him. "Is it working?"

Without responding, Arthur rested his hands on Merlin's hips, looping his thumbs through his belt loops, and pulled him closer. This discussion was far from over, but there were more important things right now; like trying to fuse himself to Merlin. Arthur wondered if that was even possible. If he could spend the rest of his life in this position, his lips against the dark haired man's lips, he didn't see a problem with it.

Cold water suddenly hit them both, causing Merlin to jolt away from him and to his feet. Sputtering, the two guys looked over at Gaius, holding the kitchen sprayer, giving them the eyebrow of doom. "People sit there," he snapped spraying them again.

"You're not helping matters," Merlin argued as Gaius put the sprayer back.

"I told you Merlin. Bring home whomever you want, just don't fornicate on my settee," Gaius stated matter-of-factly, daring his nephew to argue further.

"Oh my God, Gaius. We weren't going to do that," Merlin exclaimed throwing his hands up. "Besides, I saw you and Alice on here a month ago. You can't tell me you two don't do that stuff."

"We do not do things like that," Gaius muttered but by the way his face flushed, Arthur knew he was lying.

"Ugh, I wasn't being serious." Merlin gave a faux-shudder, grabbing Arthur's hand. Pulling Arthur to his feet, Merlin said, "Come on, I need…" he fake shuddered again, dragging the blond towards his room. "You should be ashamed, Gaius," he teased moving past his uncle, grinning at his red face.

"I'm not above kicking you out," Gaius called after him.

Merlin merely retorted, "You'd get bored without me."

* * *

The following morning, Merlin rode the lift, nerves fluttering in his stomach, barely containing his shaking. He didn't know what Uther wanted, but he knew it couldn't be good. He stepped off the lift the moment the doors opened, walking past a severe looking woman. She merely gestured him towards Uther's office and returned to whatever she happened to be working on.

Swallowing heavily, Merlin softly knocked on the door and pushed it open when Uther called, "Come in."

Sitting at his desk, wearing a suit that probably cost more than Merlin's entire wardrobe, an unreadable expression on his face, Uther looked up at the younger man's entrance. He gestured to Merlin to take a seat, and he did, closing the door behind him.

"So, you're Merlin," Uther started softly, displeasure flickering in his eyes when he took in Merlin's appearance. Today, the dark haired man opted to wear a flannel over a Jimmy Hendrix t-shirt and black jeans. He hadn't expected to be seeing the big boss; otherwise he would have donned his work shirt and nicer trousers. At least these didn't have holes in them.

"Yes sir," Merlin responded softly, nodding his head.

"I understand you and my son are seeing each other." It wasn't a question nor was it a friendly observation. The words made Merlin feel like he was being interviewed for a job.

"Yes," the younger man answered anyway, nodding again.

"The handbook says that there cannot be any interoffice relationships," Uther informed Merlin, resting his hands on his desk. "They never end well, and I don't need Arthur distracted at work. So, I must terminate your employment."

"You're sacking me?" Merlin felt his stomach clench and his breath caught for a moment. This man, Uther, was sacking him because of his and Arthur's relationship. "There has to be a way for me to keep my job." Merlin needed this job. Gaius may not insist he pay rent, but Merlin didn't feel right contributing nothing, and there was no way he was going to resort to asking his uncle or Arthur for money.

"It's easy," Uther responded with a small smile. "You can either leave my sight right now and never step foot in my building. Or you can end your relationship with my son."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't write sex scenes (believe me, it'd be terrible and I'd be embarrassing myself and you by association), so there is no actual, written sex in this chapter (it is implied though). You're just going to have to use your imaginations. Sorry guys.
> 
> I do, however, give my permission to anyone interested in writing one for the story.
> 
> So thanks for reading and commenting last chapter, sorry for the cliffhanger, and leave me a comment if you can.
> 
> Bye!!!


	9. Confessions of a Blond Prat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! Thanks to everyone who commented or read last chapter.
> 
> Please enjoy and drop me a comment if you can.

Arthur was having a pretty good morning. He awoke before his alarm, managed to get the last scone at Morgana's café, and traffic had been light so he had made it to work at a decent time. He should have known it was all going to go to shit.

He didn't know what possessed him to go and see Merlin. Usually they tended to meet up for lunch, but they really never visited each others' workspaces. Today, however, Arthur found himself going down instead of up. He stepped off the lift the moment the doors opened, very much aware of Gwaine loudly asking, "Do you want me to go rip his head off?"

"No," Merlin responded quietly, sounding dejected. His tone left an ugly, twisted knot in Arthur's stomach and he rushed towards the voices, dropping his briefcase by the lift. He skidded to a halt next to four lockers, watching as Merlin tossed everything in his into a box. Gwen hovered in the background, her face harried, pacing back and forth with enough nervous energy to keep a hummingbird going while Gwaine stood next to Merlin, his face and hair wild, looking as if he were ready to kill anyone threatening the younger man. Arthur had never been so proud, or so jealous, in his life.

"What are you doing?" Arthur demanded causing both Merlin and Gwaine to whirl around and look at him; Gwen merely spared him a quick glance before returning to her frantic pacing. Looking around, the blond became aware of Lancelot's absence. Arthur wondered where the supervisor was and why he wasn't doing anything to help Merlin. Or maybe he was; Arthur really didn't know for sure.

"Arthur, I was going to call…" Merlin started, turning back to his locker. Ignoring the semi-glare Gwaine threw him, Arthur crossed the room, grabbed Merlin's arm, and gently turned his body so he was looking at him again.

"What happened?" the blond questioned calmly, willing to do anything to wipe the doleful look off the younger man's face.

"I… I don't work here anymore," Merlin whispered, his eyes suddenly brimming with unshed tears.

"What?"

"Your father told him to either break up with you or get out, Princess," Gwaine stated before Merlin could respond. So, this had Uther written all over it. Why wasn't Arthur surprised?

"I chose you," Merlin mumbled and returned to his locker when Arthur's grip slackened. For a few seconds, Arthur watched him toss a few more things into the box, but finally the blond said, "Stop it."

"What?" Merlin turned to look at him, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Stop packing your things," Arthur responded quickly. "You're not going anywhere. Not if I can help it." He gave Merlin a wan smile, kissed his forehead, and rushed back towards the lift, calling over his shoulder, "I'm going to fix this!"

Leaving his stuff on the floor, he pounded on the lift 's button until the door finally opened. It was a long ride up to his father, with several stops, but finally, finally the lift stopped on 35. Arthur stepped off the car and sprinted right towards his father's office, ignoring Catrina's protests.

Bursting through the door, he demanded, "What the hell is the matter with you?"

Both Uther and Lancelot looked up at Arthur's entrance, both wearing disgruntled looks on their faces. The latter, standing in front of Uther's desk, hands balled into fists, looked as ready to fight for Merlin as Gwaine did while Uther, still sitting, his own hands scrunched up and resting on his desk, looked as if he were ready to chuck Lance out a window.

"Arthur, this does not concern you," Uther stated before letting his pale eyes flick back to Lancelot. "And as for you…"

"The hell it doesn't," Arthur snapped, cutting his father off. "This has everything to do with me."

"Leave us," Uther said to Lancelot, and for a moment the tan skinned man looked as if he were about to argue. But, one look Arthur's way, he nodded and headed towards the door. As he passed Arthur, he whispered, "Help him." It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who Lance was referring to, and Arthur was bound and determined to do whatever he could to get Merlin his job back.

"How dare you sack him," Arthur snarled the moment Lancelot closed the door. "Merlin doesn't deserve this anymore than Oswald did, and the fact that you made him choose…"

"He made his choice," Uther retorted defiantly, getting to his feet. "There is no need to discuss this any further."

"Yes there is," Arthur replied equally defiant, pulling himself up to his full height. "You did the same thing to Oswald. You threatened to sack Nimueh's mother if we didn't break up. You're not taking Merlin, too."

"Arthur, I am only doing this for your own good," Uther stated, no doubt trying to appeal to Arthur's logical side. The same side that seemed to have hit the road the moment he realized Merlin was in trouble. "You need to see reason…"

"How can I see reason when there is none to see?" Arthur retorted ignoring the dark look his father threw him. "He's not going anywhere and that's final."

"It's already done," Uther exclaimed, his pale eyes flashing in anger. "We will not speak of it again."

"Then find yourself a new heir," Arthur snapped. He was unsure where the words came from, but he meant them one-hundred percent. Uther took an involuntary step back, eyes widening slightly.

"Really Arthur, this is…"

"It's simple, Dad," Arthur said, cutting the older man off again. "He goes, I go. End of story."

"Y-you don't mean that."

"I meant every word," Arthur murmured holding his father's gaze.

"What will you do for money?"

"I've got a business degree and Merlin is pretty good with computers. Maybe we'll open our own company. Or, hey, Morgana might need an investor. I could always go into business with her. But whatever I do, whatever I decide, I'll do it with Merlin.

"Face it, Uther. You can't win this time." Arthur turned on his heel, intending to leave, throwing over his shoulder, "My desk will be empty by the end of the day."

His hand barely touched the doorknob when Uther softly asked, "Why are you willing to throw your entire career away on some boy you barely know?"

There were so many things Arthur could say. He could tell Uther he couldn't control how hard and fast he was falling for this boy. He could mention the fact that, when he wasn't with him, he thought about him constantly. He could even say that Morgana would kill him if he didn't at least fight for Merlin, but he didn't say any of that. Instead, he whispered, "Because I love him."

* * *

 

Merlin looked down at the half-packed box sitting by his feet, wondering what in the hell Arthur intended to do to get his job back. It's not that Merlin wasn't grateful, really he was, but he doubted Uther was going to see reason; especially when it came to Arthur's love life.

Merlin was a twenty-three year old failure from a poor family and a sketchy neighborhood. His father had a dodgy past, his mother spent the past twenty-five years cleaning houses and taking care of the odd neighborhood child, and his uncle worked at A&E only a few shifts a week. He had a con artist cousin, his ex-boyfriend had been to jail three times for fighting, and he worked in a mailroom because he couldn't keep his business afloat. Perhaps Uther was right; maybe he should have broken up with Arthur. He clearly did not deserve the blond prat.

"Stop it," Gwen hissed hovering near his elbow.

"What?" He turned, giving her a questioning look, nearly reeling back at her disapproving gaze.

"Stop thinking you don't deserve him," she said slowly. Sometimes it was scary just how well she knew him.

"If anyone doesn't deserve anyone, it's him," Gwaine spoke up from the corner of the room. His feet rested on a cluttered desk while he thumbed through a magazine. Merlin knew he really wasn't reading it, his eyes mostly flicking towards the entryway, waiting for Arthur's return. "You're worth more than fifty of him, and no money or title is going to make that any different."

Merlin opened his mouth to argue, but he closed it when he heard the lift ding. He felt Gwen grab his arm, giving it a tight squeeze, and watched as Gwaine tossed the magazine back on the desk and stood up. It was quiet, the threesome barely breathing, but finally Lancelot came around the corner looking as if his dog had been kicked.

"Oh no," Gwen whispered nearly cutting off Merlin's circulation. "Don't tell us. He's…"

Merlin felt his stomach sink, his vision blurring, but he accepted his fate. He had just been sacked from a job he didn't exactly hate, torn away from friends he loved, and a guy who seemed willing to do anything to get him his job back. Merlin just hoped Arthur didn't get into too much trouble.

"You still work here," Lancelot said softly, a small smile creeping across his lips.

"Wait what?" It took a moment for it to click, but when it did Merlin felt like he was about to pass out as relief flooded him, his legs turning to jelly. In fact, he was certain Gwen was the only thing keeping him up. He looked towards the entryway, noticing Arthur standing in the threshold, a small, almost smug smile on his face, but the relief was clear in his blue eyes.

Nearly tripping over his feet, Merlin untangled himself from Gwen and raced towards Arthur, throwing his arms around his neck. Burying his face in the blonde's neck, he felt a pair of arms encircle his waist, pulling him closer. "I told you I'd fix it," Arthur whispered in his ear.

"How?"

"By telling the truth," Arthur replied pressing a pair of lips to his temple. "I just told him the truth."

* * *

 

"You were willing to give up your job _and_ the company for Merlin?" Morgana gave her brother a half-incredulous, half-impressed look over her coffee cup. "What have you done to my brother?"

"Shut up," Arthur grumbled drinking his soda. "And yes, I did. I couldn't let Dad fire Merlin. I wouldn't let him do it."

"Yet you obviously still have a job, and Merlin still has a job. What did you say to Uther to make him change his mind?" Morgana raised one, perfect eyebrow, curiosity burning in her pale, green eyes.

Arthur looked down, fiddling with the ring on his thumb. He knew Morgana wouldn't like his answer. She'd  _like_ what he said, but not Uther's reaction. She had been pushing and pushing how much she loved Mordred for years, but Uther seemed to fall on deaf ears every time Morgana's fiancé was brought up. And even Arthur doubted Uther's change of heart had anything to do with his admission, and more to do with the fact that the sole heir to Pendragon Industries had been willing to throw it all away for some guy.

"Arthur, what did you tell him?" Morgana pried, ducking her head to look into her brother's eyes. "You obviously told him something, even if it did very little. So, what did you tell him?" She must have caught something in his eyes because hers widened and she whispered, "No. No, you didn't tell him that."

"What are you talking about?" Arthur decided to play dumb. That was the last thing he needed to do; jump to conclusions and make an ass out of himself.

"You told him…!" her eyes flashed with anger and she shook her head. "After three years of me insisting I loved Mordred, and all you have to do is say the same thing about Merlin  _and_ threaten to leave the company..." she trailed off, muttering darkly under her breath.

"Not that I'm not happy you said it," she continued hurriedly, letting her dark mood pass for the time being, her face breaking out into a smile. "And I doubt it had anything to do with what you said, and probably more with what you threatened, but you  _did_  say it."

"Said what?" He looked up to meet her eyes, a defiant look on his face.

"Oh come on Arthur, don't play stupid with me," she lightly teased, her smile growing. "You told Uther you love Merlin. Have you said it to  _him_  yet?"

"Uh…"

"You haven't told him yet?" Morgana rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "You need to tell him."

"It's only been a few weeks," Arthur half-heartedly argued, looking back down at his drink. "He probably doesn't even feel the same way."

"And how would you know unless you say something?"

"Morg…"

"No, Arthur, no; don't do that. You've lost too many good people because of your doubts or Uther's influence. You've finally found someone you're willing to fight for, someone you're willing to give everything up for, so don't sit here and tell me it's too soon. Go tell him, scream it from the rooftops, let Merlin know. He deserves to know."

"Sometimes I wonder if I deserve him," Arthur admitted quietly, fiddling with his sleeve.

"Me too," Morgana jested and grinned at the glare he threw her. "Look," she continued, her face turning serious, "you deserve to be happy, as does Merlin, and if you two make each other happy then why fight it. Stop thinking and just go for it. You might be surprised what happens."

"You're a monster pain in the ass," Arthur commented getting to his feet. "But you're probably right."

"Probably?" Arthur merely smiled, grabbed his jacket, and left his sister's café.

* * *

 

Arthur rang the buzzer at Merlin's apartment, nervously rocking back and forth on his heels. Twice, he nearly turned around and headed back to his Lexus, but he forced himself to stay. This needed to be said, it felt right, and he seriously doubted Morgana would let him live it down if he backed out.

The door opened, and Arthur headed inside. He took the lift up to the third floor, fiddling with the ring on his thumb, and stepped off the car the moment the doors opened. He headed towards 3A, nearly turned around again, but held his ground and knocked on the door.

It was quiet for a moment, but finally Merlin opened the door. He had some type of sauce staining his green t-shirt and jeans, and his hair seemed to be extra messy today, but his face broke into a huge smile when he spotted Arthur.

"Hey," he said gesturing the blond inside. "I was just attempting to make dinner."

"Attempting?" Arthur quirked an eyebrow at his word choice, his nose crinkling at the smell emanating from the kitchen area, and he noted the sheepish smile Merlin gave him while he ran a hand through his hair. "I take it you and Gaius don't cook much?"

"Gaius can make the basic stuff, and I am pretty good at making eggs and anything microwavable, but…" he gestured at the goopy mess sitting on the stove. "I was not gifted with the ability to cook. My mother tried, but she said I was a lost cause."

"I can't cook either," Arthur stated crossing the room. He peeked into the pot, made a face, and stepped away from it. He then turned back to Merlin and said, "I need to talk to you."

"Okay." Merlin turned the stove off, waving his hand at the contents, and led Arthur over to the couch. Both sat down and turned to face each other. "Is this about yesterday? You really didn't tell me what happened with your father."

"I know," Arthur said with a nod. "And I plan to now. So, please, let me get it all out before you say anything, okay?" Merlin nodded and gestured for Arthur to continue.

Arthur was quiet for a moment, picking and choosing his words carefully, but finally he drew in a deep breath and recapped his argument with Uther. Several times Merlin wanted to interrupt, Arthur could tell, but he held his tongue. His eyes did widen at the part where Arthur threatened to disinherit himself  _for_  Merlin, and he could no longer stay quiet.

"You shouldn't have done that," he whispered glancing down at his hands. "I'm not worth that much trouble."

"That's the thing," Arthur said quickly, grabbing Merlin's hands. "You're worth more than that. Sometimes," the blond looked away, clearing his throat, "sometimes I think I don't deserve you."

"I feel the same way about you," the dark-haired man murmured.

"We're both wrong," Arthur stated causing Merlin to look up. "Morgana said we both deserve to be happy, that if we make each other happy we shouldn't fight it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember how I told you I told Uther the truth?" Merlin nodded, a half worried, half curious look crossing his face. "Well, I told him that I…"

"You what?"

"I think I may, possibly, love you."

Merlin's eyes widened and his hands went limp in Arthur's. He looked down at his knees, an unreadable expression on his face, and the blond felt his stomach drop. Apparently he didn't feel the same way; which was fine. He was going to kill Morgana for making him say anything, but it was fine.

Vision blurry, Arthur made to get to his feet, but hands tightened around his and he was yanked back down. He looked up to meet Merlin's blue gaze and mumbled, "It's okay if you don't…"

"No, I, I do, too. God help me, but I do too."

Elation rolled through Arthur leaving him dizzy and breathless. A grin spread across his face, matching the one on Merlin's, and he said, "This is, uh, this is new to me."

"Me too," Merlin admitted softly. "Very new."

Arthur suddenly thought about the bet, the one thing that was responsible for all this, and he knew he had to tell Merlin. There could be no secrets between them (at least nothing huge), and he knew the dark-haired man deserved to know, so he opened his mouth, ready to tell him, but the door flew open before he could and a pale, squirrely looking guy walked in followed by a very displeased Gaius.

"It looks as if the party started early," the squirrely guy stated with a lopsided smile.

Merlin let go of Arthur's hands and stood up, gesturing to the guy. "Arthur, this is my cousin Cedric. Cedric, this is Arthur."

"Pleasure," Cedric stated holding out his hand. "Any friend of Merlin's is a friend o' mine."


	10. Unravel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really, really sorry

Arthur had been working on a few last minute things when Elyan entered their office. He crossed the room, hovering over the blonde's desk, and softly asked, "You quit the bet because of Merlin, didn't you?"

"What?" Arthur looked up, giving the dark skinned man a curious look.

"You heard me Arthur." Elyan gave him a pointed look, challenging him to argue, but the blond just wasn't in the mood to argue. He actually was having a very good few days. Merlin had been staying at his place, telling him he had to get away from Cedric, and it almost felt like they were living together which didn't freak Arthur out as much as he thought it would.

He could recall Merlin's first reaction when he saw Arthur's flat. He had commented that he could fit everything he owned inside and still have room for Gauis, Gwen, and his mother's stuff. Was Arthur's flat a little extravagant, maybe, but he didn't care; he loved it. And, after Merlin got over the initial shock, he said he loved it, too.

"Yes," Arthur admitted after a very hefty pause. "I did quit because of Merlin."

"Percy reckons you couldn't seal the deal, but I knew there was more to it," Elyan stated with a smile. "I'm glad you took the high road, Arthur. Merlin's a good bloke."

"Yeah, he is," Arthur agreed returning to his computer.

Elyan nodded once before crossing the room, taking a seat at his desk. For a while both men were quiet, but finally Elyan asked, "Do you love him?" Arthur smiled, looking up to meet his office mate's eyes, and that was all the confirmation the younger guy needed. "That's great, Arthur! Really. I mean, after Sophia, you really needed someone normal."

"Please, don't remind me of Sophia," Arthur faux-begged.

Elyan snorted, shaking his head. "I heard she was asked to leave the stage halfway through her latest performance."

"Yeah, Morgana told me about that. She wasn't very happy about it either."

"No, she threw a fit and ended up getting dropped by her troupe."

"I see you two are gossiping like a pair of old biddies," Percy said from the doorway, smirking when Elyan and Arthur glared at him. His smirk growing, he crossed the room and said, "So, since Artie failed to woo the mail boy, I am five-hundred quid richer and in need of a good pub crawl. You two with me?"

"Can't," Elyan replied shutting his computer down. "I'm having dinner with my sister and dad tonight. Perhaps another time."

"What about you, Artie?" Percival turned to the blond.

"As much as I would  _love_  to spend time with you, I actually have plans tonight." He and Merlin were having a late dinner at some restaurant Morgana recommended. "Maybe another time."

"When did you two become so boring," Percival complained heading towards the door. "Just in case you women change your mind, you know where I'll be." And he slammed the door behind him, grumbling to himself all the way to the lifts.

"We really need to find him a friend," Elyan joked and Arthur snorted, shaking his head. Elyan really wasn't as bad as he had first thought; perhaps he could actually bring himself to hang around the other man outside of work. Sometimes he wondered if Merlin was a good or a bad influence on him.

* * *

 

It took a while, but by the third day Merlin was ready to kill Cedric. His cousin was a bit like a parasite. He made himself at home and took over; leaving misery and self-loathing in his wake. He also seemed to suck the life out of anything remotely fun just by opening his mouth. He wasn't boring, per se, just a world class asshole.

He had invited himself along for dinner that night, sitting in between Arthur and Merlin, studying the silver cutlery at their table. "I bet I could sell this lot for a shite load," he commented putting the fork down. "My friend Jonas sold a couple o' his mother's knives and ended up with almost a thousand quid in his pocket." He threw Arthur a grin and quickly continued, "Not that I would o' course. I wouldn't want to see Merlin's friend get in any trouble." He winked at Merlin in-what he probably thought-was a brotherly like manner (but just managing to look even more dodgy than he let on) before looking down at the menu.

Cedric whistled as his eyes roamed the prices. "Merlin bagged himself a rich guy this time. I've met the others, and none of 'em could afford anything from this menu. Though, I bet Gwaine'd try and steal something right." He winked at Merlin again, elbowing him, a 'knowing' smile on his face.

"Tell me Cedric," Arthur started quickly, obviously reading something on Merlin's face. "What do you do?"

"Oh, here we go," Merlin muttered crossing his arms.

"I dabble," Cedric replied slowly, ignoring his cousin. "I have a few business endeavors coming up."

"Still scamming the elderly out of a few quid? Or have you convinced the neighbors that you have some incurable disease and need money to feed your 'family' again? Or did you finally go back to robbing people?"

"No," Cedric responded calmly, throwing Merlin a half-glare. "You know I've never burgled."

"Then why did your mum tell my mum you were pinched two years ago? Apparently you and Jonas were caught red handed at a caff."

"We were at the wrong place at the wrong time," Cedric explained quickly, glancing over at Arthur. "Yes, I have a bit of a dodgy past, but you need to believe that I'm no thief."

"Then why'd you spend six months in jail," Merlin muttered, watching Cedric's eyes narrow and his mouth turn down.

The table fell silent. Arthur eyed the two cousins cautiously while Cedric glared at his menu and Merlin fiddled with his cutlery. He really wished the waiter would hurry up and take their order. He really needed to get away from Cedric before one of them said something they'd regret.

"I saw Edwin the other day," Cedric said suddenly and Merlin tensed.

"Edwin?" Arthur cocked his head to the side, his blue eyes flicking between the two cousins again.

"Hasn't Merlin mentioned Edwin?" Cedric glanced over at Arthur, ignoring the glare Merlin threw him. "Now that bloke needs to spend a few years in the clink."

"Yes, he did, but only his name." Arthur turned to Merlin and asked, "What's this about Edwin and jail?"

"It was a long time ago," Merlin replied softly. There was no need to dig up his history with Edwin, and he didn't understand why Cedric was picking at the old wounds. Actually, he understood perfectly. Cedric was a life ruiner, and not the good kind of life ruiner either. He was the bad, horrible, needed to be stamped out kind of life ruiner; essentially a walking, talking wanker.

"Edwin was nice enough at first meeting, but when you got to know him he turned into a world class arsehole. Cheated on Merlin a few times, treated him like shite, all while acting all nonchalant about it. You know, subtle like, so we weren't aware what was going on until afterwards." Cedric's eyes glazed over, his gaze far away, as he continued, "Woulda killed him meself had I been given the chance."

"No you wouldn't have," Merlin snapped glaring at his cousin. "You and he are in the same damn boat. Treat everyone around you like dung whilst conning them into believing you are their friend in the process. Don't give me that 'caring cousin' bull Cedric because it's a load of tosh and you know it." Merlin abruptly stood up, nearly knocking his chair over. "Arthur, I'll ring you later. And Cedric, piss off." He then stormed out of the restaurant, narrowly avoiding knocking over their waiter in the process.

After three days of pent up aggression, telling his cousin off felt pretty damn good. His mother, of course, would be calling him in a few days to tell him off, but Merlin really didn't care right that second. Cedric deserved it. He had no right to bring up Edwin, no right to sit there and act all saint like for Arthur's benefit. He was never going to be an upstanding citizen, had proven that when he was six and conned a group of kids out of their pocket money. He could never let the con go; not entirely. It was an addiction he couldn't quite shake, and it didn't matter how long he lived or who he spent time with; Cedric would always be a conniving, thieving, conning prick.

Of course, it was a tad shitty on Merlin's part to leave poor Arthur in Cedric's company. He really should go rescue the guy before he ended up buying into one of his cousin's ludicrous stories. Though, Arthur was far too intelligent to fall for those, or, well, at least Merlin hoped he was; he'd hate to lose Arthur over something stupid like Cedric conning him.

He should really go back inside. With a heavy sigh, kicking an empty fizzy drink can, he shoved his hands in his pockets and started back towards the building, but stopped in the doorway when he noticed Arthur stand up. He said something, Cedric gave him a relaxed smile and said something back, and then the blond grabbed both his jacket and Merlin's and headed towards the exit, freezing when he spotted the younger man.

"I figured I couldn't leave you alone with Cedric," Merlin commented with a shrug. "He'd probably steal you from me or something." He tried to make it sound like a joke, but it sounded lame even to his ears.

"I highly doubt that, but I thank you for your hospitality," Arthur retorted with a small smile. "Now, I've left Cedric with enough money for his dinner and a taxi ride home. Wanna get out of here?" He offered Merlin his jacket and another smile.

"Sure," the younger man agreed taking his coat. "I'd like that very much."

"Then let's go," Arthur responded wrapping his arm around Merlin's shoulder and steering him away from the door and towards his waiting Lexus.

* * *

 

After a quick dinner of some Chinese takeout, Merlin and Arthur found themselves on the latter's sofa, watching some old, black and white film. Merlin laid stomach down across Arthur's torso, his head resting on his chest, the blonde's arms wrapped loosely around him. They had been silent for a while, but finally Arthur softly asked, "Was any of what Cedric said true?"

Merlin was quiet for a long time, and Arthur was almost certain he wasn't going to respond, but finally he said, "It was all true. Edwin wasn't a very nice person."

"Did he ever hit you?" Anger settled in the blonde's stomach at the idea. If he found out Edwin laid one hand on Merlin there would be nowhere the guy could hide. Arthur would track him down and kill him. Or, at the very least, make his life a living hell.

"No," Merlin replied softly. "He wasn't abusive in the physical sense. He was more verbose with his abuse. He also didn't like my friends and would get angry if I talked to them behind his back. But I had been seventeen and stupid, and it took a while, and an intervention from Gwen, Freya, and Will for me to leave him." He picked his head up and smiled. "It was also the second best decision I ever made."

"What's the first?" Arthur asked slowly, curiously.

"Agreeing to go on a date with you," Merlin responded quietly.

"Did you come up with that all on your own?" Arthur teased and Merlin glared at him, but still fought a smile. "I'm only taking the mickey out of you. If it helps any, meeting you is the best thing that ever happened to me."

"You're so domestic right now," Merlin commented giving the blond a quick kiss.

"Shut it," Arthur retorted with no malice, a smile creeping across his face.

"Now you've ruined the moment." Merlin faux-pouted, shaking his head. "I may have to punish you for that."

Arthur grinned wickedly and, after maneuvering a little, he managed to flip Merlin so he and Arthur were in opposite positions with the blond lingering over the dark haired man. "What's that about punishment?"

"Get off me," Merlin giggled trying to squirm free. Arthur merely grabbed his wrists in his right hand, loosely holding them over his head.

"I quite like it up here," Arthur commented with a grin. "I think I'll stay like this." His lips captured Merlin's, his free hand caressing the younger man's face, and he felt Merlin squirm underneath him, but this time to get closer instead of trying to free himself, his fingers intertwining themselves in Arthur's hair.

A knock brought their fun to an end. With a groan, Arthur rolled off Merlin and headed towards the door. He opened it, intending to tell whoever was attempting to visit to go away, but before he could open his mouth Morgana demanded, "Why was there a file on Merlin in your desk?"

"What?" Merlin's voice rang through the flat, shock and guilt flashing across Morgana's face, and Arthur whirled around to see him standing, eyeing the two siblings warily. "What's she talking about?"

"What were you doing in my desk," Arthur hissed at his sister.

"He had your employment history in the bottom drawer," Morgana responded to the younger man, waving the file, in her hand, in the air. "I found it while looking for a pen. I was going to leave you note to give to Uther." She was lying, but Arthur had far bigger problems than to call her out on her lies right now. "Why do you have it?"

"I'm sure it's a misunderstanding," Merlin started slowly, obviously trying to give Arthur the benefit of the doubt. He crossed the room, coming to stand next to the blond. "M-maybe Uther asked for the file or…" He turned to Arthur, desperation in his eyes. "Tell her, Arthur. T-tell her it's nothing."

Arthur could tell Morgana it was nothing, could lie to her until he was blue in the face, but he knew he couldn't lie to Merlin. He had to tell him the truth and face the consequences. Merlin deserved the truth.

"Falling in love with you was never part of the plan," he started softly. Hurt and confusion flashed across Merlin's face and he took a step away from the blond.

"What are you talking about?" Merlin whispered crossing his arms, his eyes locking on Arthur's.

"There was a bet," Arthur started and quickly recapped everything he had been meaning to tell Merlin. Everything that should have been said in the beginning; everything he regretted doing. When he finished, he noticed the tears brimming in Merlin's eyes.

"I'm so…" Arthur started, trying to touch the younger man's face, but he took another step away from the blond.

"Don't… don't touch me," Merlin hissed grabbing his jacket off the back of a barstool. "Just, just stay away from me." And he walked out, moving around Morgana.

"Merlin," Arthur called trying to chase after him, needing to explain, to apologize, but Morgana moved to block his way. "Get out of the way," he demanded but she ignored him. "Morgana move."

"I hope you're happy," she stated maliciously. "He was the best thing that ever happened to you and you ruined it. Nice one Arthur." She then threw the file at him, the folder hitting his chest and scattering papers all over the floor, and stalked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who commented and read last chapter.
> 
> Drop me a comment if you can
> 
> See ya!!!


	11. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who commented last chapter.
> 
> There is two chapters left, just a fair warning, and thanks for reading.
> 
> Leave me a comment if you can
> 
> Bye :)

Gwen had gotten an old, leather-bound cookbook for her birthday from her father. He said it used to be her grandmother's, and in it were several dozen recipes from soups to pies and even her grandmother's special Christmas pudding. Since then, Gwen had taken to making something new for dinner every night, and tonight, after her brother and father cancelled their dinner plans, she had decided on homemade chicken soup.

As she slowly cut up carrots, she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist and a soft voice whisper in her ear, "You look very beautiful."

"Stop it," she scolded half-heartedly, still unable to fight a grin. "I look terrible. My hair is a mess, I'm wearing sweat pants and your shirt, and I need a shower."

"I'd love you even if you were wearing a burlap sack," Lancelot replied kissing her cheek. He then offered her a red rose, obviously something he had gotten from a vendor on his way home. "For you, my love."

"You know, you don't have to get me a rose every time you leave the house," Gwen stated conversationally, but she still accepted the gift, lightly kissed Lance on the lips as a thank you, and temporarily abandoned her carrots to put the flower in water.

"You deserve a garden full," Lancelot responded with a smile. "I'd buy you a dozen, everyday, if you asked me to."

Gwen merely smiled, filling a drinking glass with water, and had just dropped the flower in the liquid when she heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it," she announced placing the glass on the counter. She kissed Lancelot as she passed him, heading towards the door. Her smile slipped off her face when she opened the door and came face-to-face with a soaking wet Merlin.

He looked completely and utterly devastated, his face bordering on lost puppy. His eyes were blood-shot and red, his paper white face was unnaturally blank, and his limbs trembled so severely Gwen wondered how he was still standing.

For a brief second, Gwen actually thought something happened to Gaius, but she had a feeling Merlin probably would have called her from the hospital if that had been the case. The same could be said if his mother or Arthur had been hurt, too. There was also the possibility that Merlin and Arthur…

But that was impossible. She had seen them yesterday, and she hadn't noticed anything that would suggest they were having problems. Obviously she was jumping to conclusions, and she wouldn't know what was going on until she actually asked her friend.

"Merlin what happened?"

His face seemed to crumble as he burst into tears, throwing himself at Gwen. In surprise, as his weight pressed down on her, she very nearly fell down, but she managed to keep her balance, wrapping her arms around him, one hand tangling in his hair while the other slowly rubbed his soaking back.

Gwen knew something happened, something huge, but she decided to hold off asking about it; just until Merlin was ready to talk. Instead, she just held him, listening to each gasped breath, feeling each shoulder jerk, and wondering who had done this to her best friend.

* * *

 

Elyan had been about to turn in for the night, having not felt good all day, and was just reading the back of a box of paracetamol when he heard a knock at his front door. He checked the clock above his stove, eyebrows furrowing at the time, and put the box down as he headed towards the door. He opened it, surprise rushing through him when he found a desperate, bedraggled looking Arthur standing in his doorway.

"I need a favor," he said quickly, pushing past Elyan without waiting to be invited in. "I mucked up big time, and I wouldn't be here if I didn't need help, and I hope you don't mind that I just barged in here. I remembered where you lived from the time you invited me over for that football party. Sorry, by the way, for not showing up." The blond had begun to fervently pace back and forth, but abruptly stopped as he asked, "Where does your sister live?"

Elyan was taken aback for a second as he tried to process what was happening. Arthur Pendragon, heir to Pendragon Industries, his office mate, the man who hadn't stepped foot in his apartment ever, was here asking him where his sister lived, looking disheveled and on the verge of a breakdown. What had happened to prompt such an impromptu visit? How bad was this 'muck up?' And why did Arthur need to know where Gwen lived? Elyan needed a few questions answered before he gave up his sister's address.

"What happened?" He eyed the blond curiously, noting the looks of sorrow and self-loathing battling for attention across Arthur's face. For a moment, Elyan actually thought Arthur wasn't going to answer him, but the blond quietly replied, "Merlin found out about the bet."

"You didn't tell him?"

"I was going to," Arthur responded quickly, wringing his hands, "but then his cousin showed up, and I didn't want to stress him out anymore. I was going to tell him, after his cousin left, but then Morgana found something in my desk and…" Arthur ran a hand through his hair, looking down at his shoes. "…and it all went to hell."

"How did he take it?" Elyan questioned curiously, his voice gentle.

"Not well, but I know that if I can talk to him, explain, that maybe I can fix it." Desperation shined brightly in Arthur's eyes again as he looked up. "I need to fix this, Elyan. So, please, tell me where Gwen lives. Please."

As much as Elyan wanted to help, he knew that Arthur trying to fix things while it was fresh in Merlin's mind wasn't the best option. The blond would have better luck if he waited for Merlin to cool off, process everything that had happened, so he could make a logical decision. Right now, with emotions running rampant, there was a good chance either Arthur or Merlin would say something they'd most definitely regret.

Elyan opened his mouth to explain this, but his mobile rang, cutting him off. He glanced over at it, wondering if he should just let it go to voicemail, but it could be his father. He flashed Arthur his index finger, telling him to wait a second, and headed towards the phone. He checked the screen, rolling his eyes at Percy's face, and turned to see Arthur gone, Elyan's address book lying open on the counter.

* * *

"I'm going to rip his head off," Gwaine snapped quietly as he paced back and forth across Gwen's kitchen. She almost didn't call Gwaine, but she figured Merlin needed all the support he could get and the verbose Irishman was one of Merlin's best friends.

After he had calmed down, Merlin had recapped as much of what had happened as he could, but Gwen had a feeling he had left a few details out. Afterwards, he had accepted the dry clothes Lancelot scrounged up and went to lie down in the guest bedroom. The threesome hadn't heard from him since.

"There must be more to it," Gwen said softly, calmly, trying to keep Gwaine from doing something drastic. "We don't know the whole story."

"Yes we do," Gwaine argued, his voice practically a hiss. "Some sniveling, conniving, prick-headed blighter broke Merlin's heart. No, he ripped it out of his bleeding chest and stomped it into the ground. He's an aul git."

"Gwaine," Lancelot said warningly.

"Oh, don't be such a goody-goody, Lance. You're just as pissed as I am, and don't tell me you wouldn't knock that blighter into next Tuesday if you got a hold of him. I sure as hell will." The phone rang just as somebody knocked on the door.

As Gwen excused herself to answer the call, Lancelot crossed the room to answer the door. Gwen barely picked up the phone when her brother said,  _"Incoming."_

Elyan's word hardly registered until she heard Gwaine shout, "Get the hell outta here before I rip your face off!"

"I'll ring you back," she told her brother, hanging up her house phone. She moved into the living room, freezing in the threshold when she saw a guilty looking Arthur trying to push past a determined Gwaine. The latter shoved the former back, knocking him to the floor, and snarled, "He doesn't want to see you."

"Let me explain," Arthur begged, shoving himself to his feet, taking half a step towards the door. "I need to explain."

"I think you need to leave," Lancelot supplied calmly, with just an underlying edge to his voice, putting himself between Arthur and Gwaine.

"Yeah, bugger off," Gwaine grumbled over Lance's shoulder.

"Please, let me see him," Arthur whispered his blue eyes seeking out Gwen. "I need to see him."

She was torn. A part of her felt for Arthur, he seemed genuinely upset over what had happened and was, no doubt, trying to fix his mistakes. But another part, the dark part she kept hidden away, wanted him to suffer. Arthur had hurt her best friend, her Merlin, and he didn't deserve to be anywhere near Merlin.

"If I could just explain," Arthur continued, raising his voice just above a whisper. "Please Guinevere."

"Arthur, I…" Gwen started but a small, hoarse voice cut her off.

"I don't want to see you, Arthur."

The foursome turned as one, four sets of eyes settling on Merlin. He practically swam in Lancelot's clothes and his slightly damp hair stuck up all over his head. His eyes were still bloodshot and red and he looked as if he needed a week's worth of sleep. He also had a glare so intense that, had looks been able to kill, Arthur's face would be a puddle on the floor.

"Merlin, please," Arthur quietly pleaded. "I just need to explain. Please."

"There's nothing to explain," Merlin responded in a whisper, his eyes brimming with tears. Willing himself not to cry, he continued, "Can you please go?"

"Merlin…"

"Just go, Arthur. Please." A single tear rolled down Merlin's face, landing on his shirt. "Please."

Arthur looked as if he wanted to argue, but he caught sight of the tear, could hear the sorrow and utter defeat in Merlin's voice, and relented. "Okay," he said softly, sniffing. He turned to leave, but stopped, turned back to Merlin, and quickly said, "I'll go, but I'm not giving up on us, Merlin. I love you."

As Arthur reluctantly walked away, Lancelot closed the door. Merlin was quiet, determined not to look at anyone, and when Gwen tried to comfort him he turned on his heel and rushed out of the room. She watched him go worriedly, very much aware of the hissed argument between Lancelot and Gwaine.

Everything was such a mess, and Gwen hated that this was happening to Merlin. He didn't deserve this, not after his last few relationships. Gwen had really been rooting for him and Arthur, had actually thought Merlin found the right guy, and now she wanted nothing more than to wrap him up in a tight hug and tell him everything was going to be all right.

She left Gwaine and Lancelot to their argument, heading down the short hallway to the guest bedroom. She opened the door, finding Merlin lying in the middle of the bed, curled on his right side, back to her. Silently, Gwen shut the door and moved across the room, sinking onto the bed next to him. Automatically, Merlin turned to face her, resting his head in her lap.

Gwen slowly ran her fingers through his hair, humming an old song they used to sing growing up. They didn't need to talk, Merlin knew Gwen was there for him just like he would be there for her, and she'd continue to be there for him for as long as he needed her, and whatever he eventually decided-whether or not to take Arthur back-she'd support him one-hundred percent.

Gwen just hoped Merlin didn't regret his choice.

* * *

Arthur had a plan. He had spent the entire weekend coming up with it, perfecting it. Every detail had to go off without a hitch because he couldn't bear to make things worse. Not when it came to Merlin. Truth was Arthur needed Merlin back. He physically ached when he thought about the prospect of never seeing the younger man's goofy smile, never hearing his voice, never seeing him, feeling his touch, or kissing him again. He needed Merlin more than he needed anyone else in his life.

So, Monday morning he rode the lift down to the basement. He had taken the day off Friday, ignored all his calls all weekend, and was almost certain Uther wished to speak with him, but his father could wait. Unless someone was bleeding to death, Merlin was more important.

The doors opened and Arthur stepped off, keeping an eye out for Merlin's friends. He recalled the row between him and Gwaine Thursday night, and figured it was best to avoid the Irishman. The last thing he needed was to get into a fist fight.

He managed to avoid running into anyone in the hallway and found Merlin standing by his locker. With a deep breath, Arthur started forward, intending to call the younger man's name, but froze when he realized it wasn't actually Merlin.

"Who are you?" Arthur asked sounding a bit ruder than expected.

"George, sir," the man responded in a stiff voice, either not hearing or opting to ignore Arthur's tone. From behind he could be Merlin's twin, but Arthur could tell this man was not Merlin. He wasn't even in the same league as Merlin. "How may I help you?"

"Have you seen Merlin?"

"Mr. Emrys resigned Friday, sir," George replied softly, shuffling the stack of mail in his hands. "I am a temp."

"H-he quit?" Arthur felt as if somebody kicked him in the stomach; all his breath leaving his lungs in one fell swoop. Merlin had resigned just so he didn't have to see Arthur. Trying to ignore the sudden pain in his chest, his vision blurring, Arthur managed to gasp out a 'thank you' before turning and stumbling out of the room and straight into Gwaine.

"He's not here," Gwaine stated slowly, sneering. The blond chose not to respond. Instead he tried to walk around the Irishman, but Gwaine moved with him, blocking his path. "What? Are you too good to talk to me? Princess, that really hurts my feelings."

"Please move," Arthur said softly, swiping at his downcast eyes. All he wanted to do was go back to his office and work until he could pretend this day hadn't happened. He didn't want to deal with Gwaine, not after their horrid last meeting, and especially not when he was already feeling awful.

"I promised Merlin I wouldn't touch you," Gwaine continued, ignoring Arthur's request. "He's nice like that, you see, but I don't see Merlin around. Do you? And what Merlin doesn't know won't hurt him."

"I don't want to fight," Arthur muttered trying to move around the older man again, but Gwaine blocked his path a second time.

"Who said anything about fighting? I'm just going to rip your head off." The punch came quick, Arthur barely having enough time to duck out of its way, five years of fencing paying off. He tripped over his feet, landing heavily on the floor, rolling out-of-the-way of Gwaine's leather boot. Arthur bound to his feet, attempting to duck another punch, but Gwaine's knuckles grazed his cheek, sending him reeling.

"I can have you sacked for this," Arthur snapped wiping blood off his face.

"Do you think I give a fuck about this job?" Gwaine shouted trying to hit Arthur again. The blond jumped back a step, feeling another punch breeze past his face. "I only took this job because of Merlin!" Gwaine took another swing, missing Arthur again, but just barely. "And now, because of you, he's gone."

"You think I don't know that?" Arthur snarled pushing Gwaine's chest, sending the older man back a step. "You think I'm not beating myself up for my mistake?" He pushed Gwaine a second time, a bit harder, sending the brunet to the floor. "It hurts, Gwaine! Physically makes me sick that I hurt him like I did, and the worst part is I can't even apologize because he won't answer my calls! And the one time, the one time I thought I could get him alone, explain, I find him gone!

"You know," Arthur continued, his voice softer, "you once told me to fight for Merlin. You said he was worth fighting for, and I agree he is worth it." He sighed, sniffing once, and offered the brunet a hand. "I just want him back."

Gwaine was quiet for a moment, staring at the offered hand, but finally he sighed and took it. As Arthur hauled him to his feet, the brunet asked, "Is it true what you told him? At Gwen's place? About you not giving up on you two; about how you love him?"

"I meant every word," Arthur confirmed with a nod. "He's the best thing that's ever happened to me." It was almost the exact words Gwaine had used at the pub, two months ago, and Arthur could see the understanding in Gwaine's eyes. "And I may not deserve Merlin, he may not even want me back, but it doesn't hurt to try. I have to try, Gwaine."

"It pains me to admit this, Princess, but I believe you," Gwaine said after a long pause. "The only problem is I haven't seen Merlin since Friday morning. He's not answering anyone's calls, and even Gaius hasn't seen him. It's like he just disappeared."

"What about Guinevere? Lance? Anyone?" Arthur tried to wrack his brain, think of anyone else who may know where Merlin might be, and that's when it hit him. He snapped his fingers and said, "I know where he is."

"Where?" Gwaine asked curiously, and Arthur merely gave the brunet a grim smile before heading towards the lift. He heard Gwaine grumble something, but quickly chase after him.

* * *

"Are you okay sweetheart?" Hunith asked watching as he son lay on her settee, watching mid-afternoon telly. She had already asked several times over the past few days, and Merlin was beyond frustrated with the question. He understood his mother was just worried about him, but he didn't want her to hover anymore.

"I'm fine mother," Merlin responded softly, dully, eyes half closed, trying very hard to keep from feeling anything. The more he felt, the worse it hurt, and he was already tired of shredding tears for Arthur Pendragon.

"Do you want something to eat?"

"No."

"Honey, you've hardly eaten in three days," Hunith stated softly, sitting down next to her son, running a hand through his hair. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

No."

"Have you talked to Arthur?"

Merlin merely grunted, squeezing his eyes shut, forcing the tears away. When was his mother going to get the hint? He didn't want to talk about it. Not now, possibly not ever.

"I'm sure if you just…" Merlin suddenly sat up, cutting his mother off, and got to his feet. He staggered for a moment, no doubt getting up too fast, perhaps from lack of food or sleep too, and headed towards the door. He shoved his feet into his sneakers, grabbed his jacket, and headed out, slamming the door behind him, ignoring his mother's attempt to call him back.

He walked for a while, hands buried in his pockets, shoulders hunched to stave off the cold. He eventually found himself at an old play park, taking a seat on an old, rickety bench. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his thighs, eyes settling on the ground, and began trying not to think, but it was futile.

He still couldn't believe Arthur lied to him. Their relationship had been based on a stupid, childish bet, and it made Merlin wonder if the blond meant anything he said. Was he actually in love with Merlin or was it all because he wanted to win? Had he been manipulating Merlin this entire time? What other secrets was Arthur hiding? How can Merlin begin to trust him again?

The young man burrowed deeper into his jacket, trying and failing to stave off the freshly building tears. In frustration, he swiped at his eyes, sniffing. Maybe all of this was his fault. Maybe he did something in the past, something that cursed him with one bad partner after another. Perhaps the universe was still punishing him for Edwin. He sniffed again, shaking his head, trying to clear that thought. Edwin wasn't his fault. He didn't know how much of a world-class areshole he was; it's not like he introduced himself as controlling and possessive.

Though, sometimes Merlin could still hear Edwin's parting words to him. " _You'll always be mine, Merlin."_ Even after six years, those words still sent chills down his spine. Staving off a shiver, Merlin bounded to his feet, intending to go home, but froze when he spotted the man in question standing across the park.

Merlin almost ran away, pride be damned, but he froze when he spotted the little girl sliding down the slide, straight into Edwin's arms. She giggled as he swung her around, telling him to do it again. He complied just as another man approached them, a smile on his pale face. The two men embraced and proceeded to take their daughter back towards their car.

A part of Merlin was happy for Edwin, he seemed to have finally grown up and gotten his life together. The other part was pissed off. Why does Edwin get to have a perfect life while Merlin was drowning in sorrow and betrayal? He didn't want to sound like a child, but it wasn't fair. Why did Edwin deserve happiness? Where was Merlin's happiness?

The idea of becoming a dodgy old cat man was becoming better and better every single day.

* * *

"Can I ask you something?" Arthur glanced over at Gwaine, watching as the brunet lit a cigarette. As he took a puff, he nodded, gesturing for the blond to go ahead. "Why don't you want anyone to know you have money?"

Gwaine was quiet for a long moment, flicking some ash out his cracked window, but finally, after another long drag, he said, "I don't have money."

"Bullshit, I've seen your wardrobe. That jacket is Armani, those boots are Gucci, and I thought I spotted a Dolce & Gabbana belt the other day. I  _know_  how much those brands cost."

"And that's what having a well off sister gets you," Gwaine grumbled blowing a mouthful of smoke at the ceiling. "My half-sister inherited a lot of money when her father died. She likes to blow it on stuff that doesn't need to be bought, and I've learned a long time ago not to look a gift horse in the mouth."

Gwaine threw his cigarette out the window before continuing, "My dad left me and my mam nothing, see. He had money, a shite ton of money, but he left it to his mistress and her stepchildren when he died. My mother managed to find herself another well off man, but he hated me and I knew I wasn't seeing a bleeding cent from him. In fact, the only time he spent money on me was when he shipped me off to boarding school when I was twelve.

"But Clarissa he loved, doted on even, and she got half of his estate when he died. My mother, naturally, got the other half. And Clarissa likes to show off just how much money she has; it's her way of gloating to me. Some I sell to a pawn shop, others, like this jacket, my boots, and that belt, I keep."

"But that doesn't explain your address," Arthur protested lamely, his eyes locked on the windshield. He had thought growing up around Uther had been bad.

"Me mam's place," Gwaine replied, clearly embarrassed, resting his head against the window. "Merlin leaving me was the smartest thing he could have ever done," the brunet added, sorrow in his voice, and the car lapsed into a long silence.


	12. Fixing Messes and Happy Endings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read or commented.
> 
> Thanks for reading.
> 
> Bye!!!

"Can I ask you something, mate?" Gwaine glanced over at Arthur, his lit cigarette bouncing between his moving lips, stray ashes falling from the tip and onto his jeans.

"Sure," Arthur responded softly, eyes locked on the road. He figured if Gwaine could answer something personal then he could, too.

"Why did you do it? The bet? You should have known it was going to go to shit." Gwaine took a long drag on his cigarette, flicking the ashes out of the open window.

There wasn't a decent answer to Gwaine's question. Arthur had taken the bet for selfish reasons, because he wanted to get back at Merlin, He hadn't been banking on falling in love, hell he didn't even particularly  _like_  Merlin until that first kiss in the stairwell.

"Sometimes we do things without thinking," he started slowly, picking his words carefully, "and without counting on the consequences being worse than the  _actual_  act. And sometimes we do things expecting one thing, but we end up getting something completely different."

"In other words you fucked up," Gwaine deadpanned, flicking his cigarette out a window, blowing out a puff of smoke. He rolled the window back up, turning to look at Arthur again. "Look, you're talking to the goddamned poster child of fuck ups. I'm not judging you. Don't get me wrong, I'm pissed you did this to Merlin, but I can't exactly judge you either.

"My mother always told me that everyone makes mistakes, but it's how they go about fixing 'em that matters." Gwaine nodded, pulling his pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He offered one to Arthur, but the blond shook his head. The brunette shrugged, pulling another out.

"You shouldn't smoke so much," Arthur commented offhandedly, glancing over at Gwaine.

"Who are you, my mother?" the brunette retorted but put the cigarette back in the pack. "Maybe you're right." He replaced the pack in his pocket, toying with his silver lighter. "You can't always be a colossal idiot."

"Three syllables? Did you hurt yourself?" Arthur teased, fighting a smile.

"Shut it, prickhead," Gwaine grumbled with a smirk on his face.

They weren't exactly friends, but it was a start to something other than animosity. And, for some strange reason, Arthur was okay with being whatever they were with Gwaine.

"Can I ask you something now?" the blond started after a long pause, the tension in the car slowly diminishing.

"The fifteenth of August," Gwaine responded with a smirk, shaking his head at Arthur's confused look. "My birthday, just in case you wanted to get me something."

"Ha ha," Arthur murmured sarcastically. "No, that's not it. It's about Merlin and his jacket."

"Ah, the ratty old thing he always wears?" Gwaine nodded in understanding, flicking his lighter open before closing again. "Gwen's tried to replace it six or seven times, even Gaius bought him a new one, but he won't wear anything else."

"Why?"

"He never told you?" Arthur shook his head at Gwaine's question. "The jacket belonged to his father. Old Balinor wore that jacket onstage at every performance, said it was his lucky jacket, but the night he died, he had given it to Merlin."

"And it's the closest thing he has to his father," Arthur stated, nodding in understanding. He still had an old, stuffed dog his mother had gotten him a few months before he was born. It's the only tie he had to her, next to an old photo of her when she was still pregnant with him. "I see why he won't wear the jacket I bought him."

"That and Merlin doesn't accept gifts easily. He feels that money shouldn't be wasted on him. Your presence is enough of a gift. The kid is too damn good for this world."

"Yeah," the blond agreed softly, "he is." And the car lapsed into another silence.

* * *

Merlin returned home to find a familiar car parked in his mother's driveway. He sighed, shaking his head slowly, and started towards it. Walking past the car, he felt the hood. It was cool to the touch and he wondered how long how long they had been there.

He headed inside, very much aware of voices coming from the kitchen. He kicked his shoes off, watching them settle on the floor next to a broken-in pair of trainers and a pair of heel boots. He hung his jacket up just as his mother called, "Merlin, are you back?"

"Yes," he called back after a pause, deciding it was better to face them now then have them find him sulking in his old room. He headed down the short hallway, pushing the kitchen doorway open to reveal his mother, Morgana, and Mordred.

"Hi," Mordred greeted with a little wave as Morgana jumped to her feet and crossed the room to give Merlin hug.

"How are you?" she gushed holding him out at arms' length to get a look at him. "You haven't been returning our calls and I had to practically drag your mother's address out of your friend Gwen and your uncle."

"I'm fine," Merlin automatically responded. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"Merlin, if I were going through something like this I'd go to the one person I trusted above anyone else, and that, clearly, is your mother." Hunith blushed at Morgana's words and murmured something about that not being true, but Morgana was one-hundred percent correct.

"We want to help," Morgana pressed guiding Merlin over to a chair. "I know what Arthur did was…" she trailed off, obviously trying to find an proper word.

"Shitty," Merlin supplied ignoring his mother's scolding look.

"For lack of a better term," Morgana agreed taking a seat next to Merlin. She took his hands into hers and said, "Just because you two are no longer together doesn't mean we aren't still friends."

"That's right," Mordred replied with a smile. "I like being friends with you."

"And you still have Gwen and Lancelot and Gaius," Morgana started listing the friends she knew about. "Even that Gwaine man you mentioned a couple of times."

"You've also got me, Will, and Freya, sweetie," Hunith supplied and Morgana nodded. "You're not alone."

"I know," Merlin whispered feeling Morgana squeeze his hands. "I just wish…" he trailed off, his vision blurring, and he blinked several times to clear it.

"Me too, Merlin," Morgana said with an understanding smile. She leaned forward, giving him another hug, dropping his hands to wrap her arms around his neck. He buried his face into her shoulder, breathing slowly, relishing in the fact that at least one Pendragon had a heart.

* * *

A while later, Hunith made dinner and the foursome talked about nothing in particular as they ate. By the time they finished dinner, Morgana had convinced Merlin to come home with her and Mordred. She even offered up one of their guest rooms, even for a few days, just in case he wanted to avoid Arthur.

"That's nice of you, really, but I'm going to have to decline," he replied with a small yet genuine smile. "Thanks for the offer."

"It's the least…" a knock interrupted Morgana and the foursome turned, as one, towards the sitting room.

Merlin spared a look at his mother, but she merely shrugged and said, "I'm not expecting anyone." With furrowed eyebrows, Merlin stood and walked out of the kitchen and towards the door. He almost didn't answer it, a gut feeling telling him not to, but he ignored it, figuring it could be Gwen or Gaius, and opened it anyway.

"Hi," a familiar blond said while an equally familiar brunette lingered in the background.

Arthur seemed to have found him.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Merlin asked softly, hand gripping the door tightly, debating whether or not to slam it in the blonde's face.

"Needing to take a piss," Gwaine responded before Arthur could say anything, pushing past the blond. "Bathroom still in the same place?" the brunette asked, and, not waiting for an answer, headed upstairs.

"Merlin, I want to talk…"

"Arthur, I thought I asked you to leave me alone," Merlin interrupted his voice lower, rushed, his vision blurring slightly. "I-I don't want…"

"Five minutes," Arthur said quickly, almost pleadingly. "Please Merlin, just five minutes."

"Fine," Merlin whispered, stepping aside to let Arthur inside, "but only five minutes."

"Who is it, sweetheart," his mother called from the other room.

"No one," Merlin called back, shutting the door. "Come on," he murmured, gesturing towards the stairs, and he led Arthur to his old room.

The moment his bedroom door was closed, he turned and said, "You have five minutes."

Arthur was quiet for a good thirty seconds, blue eyes scanning the room, obviously choosing his words correctly. Merlin started to get a little impatient, needing Arthur to leave before he said some things he'd regret, but before he could suggest the blond leave, Arthur finally said, "I mucked everything up."

"You can say that again," Merlin muttered, leaning against his door, crossing his arms. "I-I loved… and you just…" Merlin drew in a deep breath, willing himself not to cry. "Tell me something Arthur was anything you said to me the truth?"

"Everything I said to you was the truth," Arthur replied slowly, taking a hesitant step forward, but froze when he noticed Merlin shrink away from him. "The only thing I lied about was the bet, and I swear Merlin, I swear, I was going to tell you. I called it off, I did, the moment I realized how much I loved you."

As much as Merlin wanted to trust Arthur's words, wanted to believe they were as sincere as he sounded, he knew he couldn't take the blond at face value. He needed more answers, needed to understand why Arthur would do this, why he would take the stupid bet in the first place, and the only way he was going to understand is if he asked.

"Why did you do it?"

Arthur was quiet for a long moment, eyes downcast, bottom lip caught between his teeth. He finally took a deep breath, looked up to meet Merlin's eyes, and softly said, "I never thought I'd fall in love with you. You were originally supposed to be another notch, another conquest I could brag about at parties, but there is just something about you that I can't describe, something I don't think I could even attempt to describe.

"And I know I don't deserve it, and I'm not asking you to do anything about it, but I need you, Merlin. I need you more than I thought possible. And I swear I meant what I said Thursday, I am willing to do whatever I have to to prove that I really do love you."

"I don't think I can trust you," Merlin admitted shaking his head, after a long pause, looking just over the blonde's shoulder, sniffing.

"I'm willing to regain your trust. Whatever I have to do, I will do it."

"We could," Merlin started, uncertain, finally meeting Arthur's eyes again. "We could start out as friends."

"I would like that," Arthur replied with a small smile, holding out his hands. "Merlin Emrys, will you be my friend?"

"Yes," Merlin replied shaking the blonde's hand.

* * *

It wasn't ideal, but Arthur would take friendship over nothing any day. For the first few weeks, Merlin was still a little wary around him, bringing Gwen or Gwaine along when Arthur asked him to lunch or dinner. The blond accepted this without complaint, knowing trust was hard to regain once lost, and it didn't exactly hurt that he liked Gwen and could actually tolerate Gwaine.

Morgana was another story entirely. She had been known to hold grudges for years, and since Arthur hurt someone she cared for, her anger and resentment towards him grew tenfold. She liked to invite herself along on some of the lunch and dinner dates, usually dragging Mordred, and spent the entire time throwing dark glares at her brother, daring him to hurt Merlin again.

It wasn't until mid-January, about three weeks before Morgana's wedding, when Arthur managed to get Merlin alone. Gwen and Lancelot were celebrating their anniversary, Gwaine had a prior engagement with a pub, and Morgana and Mordred were talking to the florist about last-minute details for their wedding.

It surprised him that Merlin agreed to the date at all. Things had been going smoothly with the two, they were slowly falling into old patterns, but Merlin still seemed wary to go anywhere with Arthur without a chaperone. Not wanting to look a gifted horse in the mouth, Arthur didn't make a big deal about the date and made plans to pick Merlin up around eight.

He arrived early to Merlin's flat, debated whether or not to go inside, and finally got out of his Lexus. He started towards the building, catching the door as an elderly couple returned from a night-time stroll (or something). He rode the elevator up with the two, watching them get off on the second floor, and finally stepped off on Merlin's floor.

Arthur raised his hand to knock on the door, but it flew open a second before his knuckles could meet the wood. Gaius stood in the threshold, eyebrows furrowed, and silently gestured Arthur inside. For a moment, Arthur almost declined the offer, a fleeting image of Gaius stabbing him repeatedly with a bread knife popping into his head, but he shook the image away and stepped inside.

"An elderly couple let me in," Arthur answered the unasked question, very much aware of Gaius shutting the door behind him.

As Gaius moved back to the kitchenette, taking a seat at the counter, Arthur stayed by the door, arms crossed, eyeing the older man cautiously. The man in question merely took a sip of his still steaming mug, blue eyes trained on Arthur, a heavy silence filling the small flat.

Ten agonizing minutes later, Merlin finally emerged from the bathroom; his robe tied tightly around him, dark, wet hair plastered to his forehead. He froze when he spotted Arthur standing by the door, blue eyes wide. "H-how long…?"

"Ten minutes," Gaius replied getting to his feet, carrying his mug over to the sink.

"You're twenty minutes early," Merlin pointed out, crossing his arms, obviously trying to hide what he was wearing from Arthur.

Fighting a smirk, Arthur said, "Yeah, traffic was light. Can I…?" he shot a quick glance Gaius' way, the 'eyebrows of doom' still furrowed, and Merlin got the hint, nodding, and led Arthur down the short hallway to his bedroom.

"Uh, make yourself at home," Merlin murmured heading towards his closet. Arthur nodded, perching on the end of Merlin's bed, resting his hands in his lap. He looked around the small room, actually taking it in for the first time.

He spotted a small shelf above the shabby desk, several dragon statues littering the surface. On the desk was an old computer, turned on, screensaver showing the words:  _Computer Programmers Do It Better._  Arthur chuckled softly, looking away from the screen, eyes settling on a green guitar in the corner.

"I never noticed that before," he commented slowly.

"What?" Merlin poked his head out of his closet, a green shirt in his hand, eyes settling on the guitar Arthur was pointing at.

"Oh, that." Merlin's face flushed as he returned to his searching. "I can't play if that's what you're hinting. It's not even mine."

"Whose…"

"My father's," Merlin replied softly, sadly, emerging from his closet holding a pair of blue jeans and a red t-shirt.

"It's beautiful," Arthur whispered standing, moving towards the guitar. He inspected it, making sure not to touch, finding a name carved into the back of the neck. "Kil… Kilgharrah?" he sounded out, glancing back at Merlin with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, he, uh, he named it," Merlin stated quietly, face turning a deeper red. "He, um, he always used to joke about how Kilgharrah was his best friend and that one day he'd teach me to play." A wistful expression crossed Merlin's face only to be replaced by a sad smile. "He left it at home the night he died. I can't bring myself to learn to play."

"My mother played the piano," Arthur admitted eyeing the guitar. "We had one in the library for years, just collecting dust because I wouldn't let anyone play it." Glancing back at Merlin again, a sad smile of his own on his face, Arthur said, "I remember when Morgana was eight, she made the mistake of touching the piano. She didn't know, of course she didn't, but I didn't care. I broke her favorite doll, and Morgause locked me in the basement."

A heavy silence filled the room only to be broken by Merlin saying, "I'm going to get dressed."

"Okay," Arthur whispered and left the room, leaving the door ajar, and leaned against the wall. That was enough sharing for one night.

* * *

They went to a casual restaurant downtown. Morgana had dragged Arthur to it a few months ago; way before he met Merlin, and made him look through invitation samples with her. It had been, without a doubt, the most boring afternoon of his life, but the food was good so he had stored the restaurant's name in his head for later.

The hostess seated them at a booth, far away from the door, and left them with two menus before heading back to her podium to help two new arrivals. Arthur shrugged out of his jacket, Merlin copying him, and set it next to him, snatching one of the menus off the table.

"Morgana dragged me here once," Arthur shared with Merlin, glancing over the menu items. "The food is decent enough."

"I can see that," Merlin commented softly, looking at his own menu. "I can also pronounce most of it." Arthur glanced up, noticing the flicker of amusement in the younger man's eyes. He smirked, returning his attention to the menu.

A waiter approached them several minutes later, quickly taking their drink and food order, disappearing just as quickly into a crowd of people. Arthur tapped his fingers against the table, watching as Merlin looked around the restaurant.

"How have you been?" the blond asked curiously.

"Fine," Merlin responded softly, glancing over at Arthur. They hadn't seen each other in about a week, both busy at their prospective jobs. After Merlin quit the mailroom, Morgana had offered him a job at her café, fixing the computers and machines when they broke and keeping an eye on the books. He even took orders when Henry was running late. "How about you?"

"Great."

They were quiet for a few minutes, returning to their tapping and looking around. Usually Gwen or Gwaine kept the conversation flowing, occasionally Mordred and Morgana adding their two cents. Sometimes Gwen and Morgana (who had become fast friends) would go off into their own little gossip world, leaving the guys to fend for themselves, but at least somebody was talking; Arthur wasn't used to the quiet.

Their food arrived a while later, giving the two men something to do, and another silence filled the table as they began to eat. Arthur started thinking that maybe this date wasn't such a good idea, especially when it seemed Merlin wasn't really ready for it, but he was saved the trouble of saying anything when the younger man stated, "I'm sorry for being so quiet tonight."

"I hadn't noticed," Arthur lied shoving some potatoes in his mouth.

"Liar," Merlin murmured fighting a smile, picking at his food. "It's just…" he trailed off, taking a bite of his food. He chewed thoughtfully, swallowed, and softly continued, "I've been thinking."

"Oh." Arthur leaned forward, intrigued by what Merlin had to say.

"Yes, about us."

"What…?" Arthur cleared his throat, looking down at his plate, trying to push down the hope bubbling in his stomach. "What about us?"

"It's been great, this past month. You've been… you've been great." Arthur's hope suddenly crashed and burned. Was this a breakup? Was Merlin breaking up with Arthur? How was that even possible? They weren't even technically dating anymore?  _Hold on, Arthur,_  he told himself.  _You're jumping to conclusions. Let him finish._

"Okay," Arthur said softly, gesturing for Merlin to continue,  _needing_  him to continue.

"I, um, I wanted to ask you something," Merlin stated taking Arthur by surprised. Okay, this was not what he was expecting. This wasn't even close to what he was expecting. What could Merlin possibly need to ask him? Keeping his newly risen hope under control, Arthur nodded, indicating to Merlin to go ahead. "Would you…" the younger man wet his lips, trying again, "Will you be my date for Morgana's wedding?"

Arthur was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "I was thinking about asking you the same thing after dinner."

"So you will?"

"Yes."

After that they fell into a semi-normal conversation, staying until well past closing just talking, and only leaving when the wait staff kicked them out. It reminded Arthur of their first date, and he couldn't help but smile as he drove Merlin home.

Once he parked in front of Merlin's building, he glanced over at the younger man and said, "So, I'll see you around."

"Definitely," Merlin replied with a small nod. Arthur expected him to get out of the car, maybe give the blond a small wave before heading inside, but Merlin surprised Arthur by leaning forward and kissing him, once again reminding the blond of their first date. It was a soft, sweet, closed mouth kiss that ended too soon.

"Good night, Arthur," Merlin whispered against Arthur's lips before getting out of the Lexus. Long after the younger man went inside, Arthur still sat out front of the building, touching his tingling lips. He held onto hope that he might have just won Merlin back.

* * *

"This was a bad idea," Merlin said nervously, shakily trying to tie his bow.

"Not this again," Gwen moaned playfully, fighting a smile. "You are hopeless, Merlin." She stepped forward, helping him with the bow.

"I don't even know what I was thinking, asking him to the damn thing."

"That you still  _love_  him," Gwen teased finishing up with the bow. "Come on, Merlin, you've never stopped loving him, and the longer you deny those feelings the longer you'll be miserable." She patted his chest, giving him a peck on the cheek, and headed out of his room, her long dress barely brushing the floor.

Merlin looked down at himself, took a deep breath, and quickly followed her out. He knew she was right, he had to stop denying his feelings, but a part of him just kept waiting for Arthur to betray him again. Irrational, sure, but if it already happened once who's to say it wasn't going to happen again?

They rode in Lancelot's car to get Arthur, Gwen and Lance up front while Gwaine and Merlin sat in the back. Merlin had gotten several phone calls from Morgana the night before, making sure he was still coming, having him relay messages to Mordred via three-way calling, and otherwise keeping up a constant chatter to help calm her nerves. Merlin didn't exactly enjoy the calls, but he couldn't blame her either. She was getting married today; she had a right to be nervous.

"He lives here," Gwen announced when Lancelot pulled up to Arthur's building.

"Yes," Merlin replied nodding.

"Damn, I need to find me a rich guy," Gwaine commented with a smirk and Merlin snorted, getting out of the car. He headed towards the building, very nearly running into Arthur as he was coming outside. The younger man stopped, looking the blond up and down, unable to stop himself from staring. Arthur knew how to fill a suit; Merlin merely looked like a kid playing dress up.

"You, um, you look nice," he commented wanting to smack himself the moment the words left his mouth.

Arthur smirked, grabbed his hand, and dragged Merlin towards Lancelot's car. As they got inside, he murmured, "Morgana was right. You look good, too." Merlin's face flushed red and he shut the door.

* * *

The wedding ended with a long kiss between Mordred and Morgana. Afterwards, they went to the banquet hall Morgana rented for the wedding breakfast. After they ate, Mordred lead Morgana to the dance floor where they danced to some song Arthur had never heard of. About mid-way through, the entire hall was surprised when Uther asked to cut in. Arthur hadn't even seen his father show up. Morgana was surprised, but still allowed the dance.

After the first dance, the rest of the guests joined the couple on the dance floor. Arthur had to practical drag Merlin, who kept complaining about not knowing how to dance. Settling one hand on his waist and grabbing the other, Arthur whispered, "I'll lead."

It was a slow song, something by The Beatles, and midway through Merlin rested his head on Arthur's shoulder. Very softly, so only Arthur could hear him, warm breath gentle against the blonde's neck, he softly said, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

Gwaine watched Merlin and Arthur sway back and forth, a sad yet content smile on his face. He may have lost Merlin, but at least he lost him to someone who deserved him. He shook his head, wondering if anyone would miss him if he stepped out for a smoke, already tired of all the happy couples, but a shadow fell over him, stopping his escape.

"Would you like to dance?" a blond asked, hazel eyes meeting Gwaine's.

"Sure," Gwaine murmured accepting the hand offered to him. As the two headed towards the dance floor, the brunet said, "My name's Gwaine."

"Leon," the curly blond responded with a smile.

Returning the smile, Gwaine decided that weddings weren't so bad after all.


End file.
